Stormy Sunday
Sunday Evening , flash flood waters topped the entrance drive leading into the Superior Estates Winery. Fortunately the driveway did not washout. Republican River water backed up the Superior waste Water Treatment plant and forced the removal of the ultraviolet treatment system for about seven hours. Flooding was more extensive in Thayer County. Webster County hardly receive a sprinkle. Jewell County lowlands we're also flooded by heavy rains.
The torrential downpours, Sunday, sent Lost Creek into a frenzy. A wall of debris, mainly tree trunks and limbs, became trapped under Superior's Eighth Street bridge. A contractor was expected to remove the log jam Wednesday as more rain was forecast across the area.
Mother Nature took dead aim on Nuckolls and Jewell counties Sunday afternoon into early Monday morning.
The thunder began rolling across Superior in the afternoon. The rains came soon afterwards. When the numerous storms finally cleared the area Monday morning, any rainfall deficit for the year was erased. July rainfall totals are at the 12 inch mark for the month of July.
The storms dumped heavy amounts of rain across the area. Steve Houtwed, a rural Ruskin resident, reported his electronic rain gauge was measuring the rainfall rate at more than five inches per hour during one storm. Superior recorded 3.13 inches of rainfall for Sunday. Jewell County was hit and miss. A rain gauge west of Ionia registered 5.19 inches. Formoso recorded more than four inches of rain.
The northern part of Nuckolls County was not as heavily inundated. Oak received less than two inches while Nelson recorded .79 inches.
` Some areas of Thayer County received in excess of five inches of rain. Webster County reported trace to light amounts of precipitation.
The National Weather Service office in Hastings reported that Covert, Kansas, located in Osborne County posted the highest rainfall total in the area with more than seven inches.
An area flooding warning was in effect in Jewell County on Monday as rivers and streams rose out of their banks.
The Eighth Street Bridge across Lost Creek in Superior bears witness to the ferocious rainfall. A log jam is piled high on the north side of the bridge. A contractor was scheduled to remove the debris Wednesday to allow normal water flow to return.
More thunderstorms were forecast for Wednesday and Thursday. Rain chances diminish to near zero after Thursday. But then again this is Nebraska and Kansas and change is normal.
Motorists are advised to exercise caution when driving. If you come across flowing or standing water on the road, turn around. Adjust to weather conditions when driving in storms. Slow down. Ensure your windshield wipers are in working condition.
Many area gardens were submerged by Sunday's deluge. Watercress would probably thrive in these conditions. Area farmers reported standing water in many ditches. Fields are also affected by standing water. It is too early to determine any negative effect on the current crops in the fields.
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