9 PM UPDATE: Flooding now affects Neosho River at Neosho Rapids

Flooding continues to swell in scope in Lyon County.

The Neosho River is officially out of its banks at the Neosho Rapids gauge. The river went above the 22-foot flood stage Tuesday evening and is currently at 22.15 feet. The National Weather Service says the river should climb to 28.1 feet Thursday morning. Floodwaters cover large areas over both banks at 26 feet. The river may not go below flood stage until Sunday morning.

The Neosho at Neosho Rapids joins the Cottonwood at Emporia and Marais des Cygnes above Reading as the gauges now in flood.

At Emporia, the Cottonwood is at 20.45 feet, above flood stage of 20. The river should crest at 25 feet, which would close the southbound Kansas Highway 99 traffic lane south of Emporia. The river may go back into its banks Sunday.

The Marais des Cygnes has crested near Reading at 23.45 feet, almost 4.5 feet above flood stage. The river should be out of flood status early Wednesday.

Stay with KVOE and KVOE.com for updates. Make sure to follow us on Twitter@kvoeam1400 or Facebook@kvoenews for instant alerts.

5 pm Tuesday: Cottonwood now flooding at Emporia gauge

Flooding has officially expanded in Lyon County.

After the Marais des Cygnes went above flood stage early Tuesday afternoon, the Cottonwood River went into flood at Emporia shortly before 5 pm. The river should push up to 25 feet by Thursday afternoon — enough to affect southbound traffic on Kansas Highway 99 south of Emporia but not high enough to totally close off the highway, which happens at 25.5 feet. The river could hold close to 25 feet until Saturday afternoon and eventually drop below the 20-foot flood stage Sunday afternoon.

A flood warning is in effect for the gauge until Sunday night.

Further west, the Cottonwood at Plymouth is now above 28 feet and rising towards flood stage of 32 feet. The projected crest now is at 35.1 feet Thursday morning. The river should go below flood stage Saturday morning, so a flood warning is effective until Saturday afternoon.

The Cottonwood at Cottonwood Falls was reading 6.5 feet early Tuesday afternoon. It should pass the 9-foot flood stage early Wednesday and crest at 11 feet Thursday afternoon. The river should go below flood stage Friday night.

For the Neosho River, flooding is still expected from Emporia to Neosho Rapids but hasn’t happened to this point.

At Emporia, the Neosho was at 13.7 feet at last word. It should climb above the 19-foot flood stage early Wednesday and crest at 21.2 feet early Thursday. The river should go below flood stage Thursday afternoon.

The Neosho at Neosho Rapids will likely go above the 22-foot flood stage by early Tuesday evening. The river is currently at 21.6 feet and rising — possibly as high as 28.1 feet Thursday morning. The river may not go below flood stage until Sunday morning.

3 pm Tuesday: River-based flood warnings extended for Cottonwood, Neosho rivers

The list of Lyon County road closures has expanded rapidly Tuesday.

That’s not surprising, considering most of the KVOE listening area picked up anywhere from 2-4 inches of rain Monday night and Tuesday morning on top of 3 to 7 inches of rainfall last week.

Lyon County closures

*Road 140 from H to K-5
*Road 145 from G to H
*Road 150 from E to F; from H to K-5; from Kansas Highway 99 to M; from N to R
*Road 155 from K to K-5
*Road 240 between D and F; at G
*Road E between 140 and 150
*Road A from US Highway 50 to Road 180
*Road B2 from US Highway 50 to Road 180
*Road B5 from US Highway 50 to Road 180
*Road D north of 150
*Road E north of 150
*Road G south of US Highway 50; south of 160
*Road G5 south of 160; from 170 to 175
*Road H from 140 to 145
*Road K from 130 to 155
*Road J from 130 to 160
*Road M from 137 to 150
*Road P from 140 to 150
*Road R from 140 to 160
*Road W from 122 to 145

Several roads are also closed elsewhere in the KVOE listening area:

Chase County

*227th Road
*240th Road

Coffey County

*Lake Road west of New Strawn

Greenwood County

*Numerous low-water crossings closed. 200th and EE Road has water over it but is not currently listed as closed. Several streets in Eureka are underwater but are considered passable

The closure lists reflect rising floodwaters for the second time this month. Lyon County rivers jumped 10 to 15 feet in 12 hours after rain started around 6 pm Monday.

The Marais des Cygnes near Reading is the first river in flood, currently at 22.5 feet or above flood stage of 19. Moderate flooding is underway, with Road Y-5 flooded near the gauge site. The river could crest as high as 23.2 feet and could go below flood stage after Wednesday evening.

Other Lyon County rivers are rapidly approaching flood stage, with the Cottonwood from Emporia to Cottonwood Falls and the Neosho from Emporia to Neosho Rapids in flood warnings for the next several days.

The Cottonwood at Emporia is now projected to crest at 25.1 feet Wednesday evening after going back into flood shortly. This would mean one-lane traffic on Kansas Highway 99 south of Emporia with the river going into moderate flood at 24 feet. Both lanes of the highway flood at 25.5 feet. The river may not go back within its banks until Sunday, so the current flood warning has been extended until Sunday evening.

The Cottonwood at Plymouth is still set to crest Thursday at 35.5 feet, above flood stage of 32 feet and above the point where Road A is totally inundated near the gauge site. If the river reaches the expected crest, it would be the fourth-highest crest on record for that location. The river should go below flood stage Saturday morning, so the warning is extended until Saturday afternoon.

The Cottonwood at Cottonwood Falls is in a warning until Saturday afternoon. The river should go above the 9-foot flood stage early Wednesday and crest at 11 feet Thursday afternoon. That would flood Bates Park in Cottonwood Falls. The river should go below flood stage Friday night.

The Neosho at Emporia is now in a flood warning until late Thursday night. The river should climb above the 19-foot flood stage early Wednesday and crest at 21.2 feet early Thursday. The river should go below flood stage Thursday afternoon.

The warning for the Neosho at Neosho Rapids goes until Sunday night. The river should go above the 22-foot flood mark shortly and climb to 28.1 feet Thursday morning. Floodwaters cover large areas over both banks at 26 feet, and a 28-foot crest would tie flooding from July 1932 and April 1945 for eighth-highest on record. The river may not go below flood stage until Sunday morning.

Council Grove Reservoir, John Redmond Reservoir and Melvern Lake are all high at this time, but the Army Corps of Engineers is not planning any releases any time soon because of the ongoing flooding situation. It may be early next week before such a move is even considered.

A marginal risk of severe weather is up for Lyon and surrounding counties Tuesday night. Hail and high winds are the main concerns.

Severe weather was limited to hail and high winds. Hail to the size of quarters was reported in Emporia and Madison, while hail to tennis ball size was reported near Gridley.

In Osage County, the main problem was high wind. Sheriff Laurie Dunn says trees were downed and roofs were damaged in Osage County. Lyndon had several business buildings damaged, and the Vassar area saw homes, barns and farm equipment destroyed. Winds were estimated as high as 80 mph, the equivalent of EF-0 tornado or weak hurricane strength, at times Monday night.

Stay with KVOE and KVOE.com for updates. Make sure to follow us on Twitter@kvoeam1400 or Facebook@kvoenews for instant alerts. If you have storm reports or photos, email kvoe@kvoe.com or post directly to KVOE’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Also, make sure to download the free KVOE mobile app so you can take KVOE’s severe weather coverage with you wherever you go.

Click here for Tuesday morning’s KVOE News coverage of the current flooding.
Click here for Monday’s KVOE News storm and flood coverage.