Parts of southern Iowa were absolutely soaked overnight with 5 to 7.5 inches of rain. Rachel Hatteberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, says Centerville recorded 5.1 inches, Promise City 5.2 inches and Seymour  around 6 inches.

A local observer for the weather service recorded seven-point-five inches just southwest of Seymour. All of the rainfall totals were recorded between 8 o’clock last night and 8 this morning. The heavy downpours caused a lot of street flooding in Appanoose and Wayne Counties and emergency personnel rescued at least two people who were stuck in stalled vehicles near Seymour and Millerton.

“Southern Iowa has been hit very hard,” Hatteberg told Radio Iowa. “The Chariton River is definitely seeing the effects…some water is spilling out of the river and affecting the roadways around there.” More rain is expected today – mainly over southern Iowa. Hatteberg says the rain should mostly be in the form of light showers. An extended dry spell is expected to arrive by Thursday.

“Thursday morning, there’s about a 20-percent chance for storms but as we move into the afternoon, that chance diminishes and we should be seeing some clear weather with highs in the upper 80s and low 90s,” Hatteberg said. “We’ll be looking at a dry weekend with average or above average temperatures.”