The flood warning for the Neosho River at Neosho Rapids has ben canceled.
The river gauge was in a flood warning for most of the week after significant rainfall and was set to exit warning status Saturday night. However, the river — which had crested at 23.13 feet after heavy rain during the Memorial Day weekend — never went back above flood stage of 22 feet. Recent forecasts had the river going back above 23 feet, but rainfall Wednesday night into Thursday wasn’t as widespread or as heavy as expected.
Showers and thunderstorms, including bordereline severe storms with wind and hail, are unlikely but possible Saturday afternoon and evening. Shower and storm chances return Monday night and continue at a slight to moderate level for most of next week.
KVOE and KVOE.com will have updates.
7:15 am Friday: Lyon County Highway Department opens some roads, closes others as flood warning continues for Neosho at Neosho Rapids
A flood warning continues for parts of the Neosho River downstream from Emporia.
The Neosho at Neosho Rapids remains in a flood warning until shortly after 9 pm Saturday. The river is no longer in flood after cresting at 23.13 feet early Wednesday morning due to heavy rain earlier in the week, but it it is rising again at 20.43 feet. The National Weather Service is now expecting a second crest at 23.4, above flood stage of 22. This would send water back over Road 145 on the west side of a bridge outside Neosho Rapids for the second time this week if the forecast holds.
Cresting is currently set for early Friday afternoon, with the river going below flood stage before sunrise Saturday.
With floodwaters still a concern into the weekend, the Lyon County Highway Department reopened several roads originally closed due to flooding. Crews also closed several other roads through the day.
Reopened:
*Road 145 between Roads V and V-6
*Road 150 between Roads E and F; between P and S; between W and X
*Road 160 between Roads N and P
*Road F between Roads 150 and 160
*Road T between Roads 130 and 150
*Road W between Roads 122 and 145
New closures:
*Lyon County Road A (Lyon-Chase county line) between US Highway 50 and Lyon County Road 180
*Road 160 between Roads G and J had been reopened earlier Thursday but was announced as closed early Friday
Ongoing closures:
*Road 150 between Road J and Kansas Highway 99; between Roads N and P
*Road 155 between Roads F-5 and G
*Road J between Roads 140 and 160
*Road K between Roads 140 and 150
These adjustments for river readings, flood warning expiration times and road access follow anywhere from 0.70 to nearly 2 inches of rainfall Wednesday night into Thursday, as well as 4 to 7 inches of rain for the Memorial Day weekend and pockets of heavy rainfall May 19.
