Platte County Emergency officials were forced into swift action shortly before 4 p.m. on Monday, July 6 after a severe thunderstorm entered the area and caused widespread flash flooding. The storm intensified leading to a tornado warning with rotation reported near Camden Point, Mo. headed toward Edgerton and later the same was spotted near Weston. Although there were no reports of major damage from a tornado, the storm dumped inches of rain in a short period of time, leading to numerous road closures and damage from the rising waters in the county.
According to radar data from the National Weather Service (NWS) most of Platte County received more than two inches of rain with isolated locations receiving more than five inches.
As of Tuesday, July 7, most of the roads affected were reopened, but State Route V north of State Route H near New Market, Mo. remained closed into the afternoon because a section of the road washed away during the storm. State Route E between Camden Point and Ridgely was closed after the Platte River swelled from its banks and overtopped the road. The river is again forecasted to reach moderate flood stage with a crest of 29.6 feet expected in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 8.
Flooding from the Little Platte River also closed State Routes B and KK North of Hoover, Mo.
The torrential rain came after a very wet May and June — the second wettest on record at Kansas City International Airport. According to the NWS, the airport received 18.4 inches of rain over the two-month span. The Platte River reached moderate flood stage multiple times during that time frame, causing damage to the boat ramp at the Sharp’s Station Conservation Area and leading to its indefinite closure.
On Monday, crews responded to multiple calls on Highway 45. A mudslide was reported north of Weston partially blocking the road. South of Weston, more than 3 feet of water covered the road and closed the southbound lane near Farley, Mo.
Weston City Park was under more than 4 feet of water, and Weston City Hall was cut off from the rest of Main Street. Weston city clerk Kim Kirby had to be rescued from the building in a large truck shortly after 5 p.m. Waters had receded shortly before midnight.
Also in Weston State Route JJ was overtopped and another mudslide could be seen east of town.
A small bridge was also washed away on Humes Road, just off Goodlet Circle in a residential area along Highway JJ heading toward downtown Weston.
Some of the heaviest rain according to the NWS occurred near Edgerton, Mo. About six inches of rain fell in northern Platte County according to the radar data. Members of the Edgerton-Trimble Fire Protection District closed State Route B south of town near the baseball field and State Route Z east of town as water rushed over the roadway in both locations. Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation reopened the roads after removing mud that had washed over the roadway.
Many homes in the Edgerton area also ended up with swamped yards.
Platte City remained mostly clear of high water situations but State Route N was closed at Broken Bridge Road after water overtopped that roadway.
Capt. Erik Holland of the Platte County Sheriff’s department said there were a couple of vehicles stranded in the high water and a few slideoffs due to the heavy rain. One minor injury was reported when a man attempted to remove a blockage from a culvert on his property along Old Bethel Road.
Holland said a few deputies held over from the day shift to help complete road checks.