Interstates reopen after record rain, flooding in St. Louis

Flooding caused by record-breaking rain on Tuesday morning closed all four interstate highways – I-70, I-64, I-55, and I-44 – heading to downtown St. Louis.

More than 9 inches of rain fell in St. Louis from late Monday into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service St. Louis Twitter page. Of that amount, 7.68 inches fell within six hours. The National Weather Service said the chances of this happing in a given year are one in 1,000. The area received about 25% of its normal annual rainfall amount in 12 hours.

The National Weather Service forecasts more rain for the area through Thursday, but the amounts are predicted to be less.

A historic morning in the St. Louis area. Our hearts are with all of those affected from this catastrophic flooding. Here are some facts that put this rainfall into historical perspective. #mowx #stlwx pic.twitter.com/jUtOGl8ioq

— NWS St. Louis (@NWSStLouis) July 26, 2022

Many highways were closed but reopened by noon. Flooding at Interstate 70 near St. Peters, Mo., caused major issues. It was closed Tuesday morning in both directions near Mid Rivers Mall Drive. It reopened by 10 a.m.

To view current closures visit the Missouri Department of Transportation closure map at Traveler.modot.org.

At 10 a.m. on July 27, MoDOT reported the outer roads on I-270 in north St. Louis closed and to expect delays on westbound I-270 because of flooding.

Flooding also has closed outer roads west of St. Louis in St. Peters, MoDOT reported July 27.

The Illinois Department of Transportation posts closures and traffic cameras here. A ramp to I-255 in East St. Louis was closed because of flooding as of the morning of July 27.

One of the biggest road issues was in St. Peters, where heavily-traveled Interstate 70 was closed Tuesday morning in both directions near Mid Rivers Mall Drive. It was reopened by 10 a.m.

Other highways closed for a while Tuesday morning:

• Eastbound I-70 in north St. Louis.
• Ramps onto I-70 from Highway 141 near Earth City
• Northbound I-170 lanes at the St. Charles Rock Road exit in North County.
• Eastbound and westbound outer road lanes along Interstate 270 west of Interstate 170 in north St. Louis County.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published photos of the flooding late Tuesday night. At least one death is attributed to the high water.

The St. Louis MetroLink light rail system was greatly damaged by the rain, the Post-Dispatch reports, causing service delays and restrictions. LL

Other Missouri news is available on LandLine.Media.