Alert archive / Missouri / River Flood Warnings in 2026
River Flood Warning 39, NWS Kansas City, MO
NWS Kansas City, MO issued this river flood warning at Apr 26, 2026, 10:26 AM CDT for Atchison County, Holt County, Missouri. It took effect at Apr 27, 2026, 9:16 AM CDT. It was in force for .
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 26, 2026, 10:26 AM CDT (15:26 UTC)
- In effect from
- Apr 27, 2026, 9:16 AM CDT
- Expired
- Apr 26, 2026, 8:19 PM CDT
- In force
- Issued by
- NWS Kansas City, MO
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Flood severity
- Moderate
Counties Atchison County, MO, Holt County, MO
The radar
The Omaha radar (KOAX), 136 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:26 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
The river
Written for the forecast point Tarkio River near Fairfax (FFXM7). The gauge peaked at 11.39 ft at Apr 27, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT.
- Action stage
- 12 ft
- Minor stage
- 17 ft
- Moderate stage
- 18 ft
- Major stage
- 25 ft
This gauge today: stage, forecast and historic crests
Stage from the USGS instantaneous record for site 06813000, one reading an hour, from a day before the product to a day after it ended. Flood stages are today's.
The text
As transmitted.
794
WGUS43 KEAX 261526 RRA
FLWEAX
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Flood Warning
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
1026 AM CDT Sun Apr 26 2026
...The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill MO has issued a
Flood Warning for the following rivers in Missouri...
Tarkio River at Fairfax affecting Holt and Atchison Counties.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
This product along with additional weather and stream information is
available at www.weather.gov/kc/.
&&
MOC005-087-271530-
/O.NEW.KEAX.FL.W.0039.260427T1416Z-260429T1330Z/
/FFXM7.2.ER.260427T1416Z.260428T0000Z.260428T1330Z.NO/
1026 AM CDT Sun Apr 26 2026
...FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING TO WEDNESDAY
MORNING...
* WHAT...Moderate flooding is forecast.
* WHERE...Tarkio River at Fairfax.
* WHEN...From Monday morning to Wednesday morning.
* IMPACTS...At 17.0 feet, Low-lying farm fields begin to flood.
At 18.0 feet, U.S. Highway 59 north of Fairfax begins to flood.
At 19.0 feet, Flooding begins in the vicinity of Corning.
At 25.0 feet, Levees in the vicinity of Fairfax are overtopped.
Flooding of farmland along with homesteads and roads occurs.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 9:15 AM CDT Sunday the stage was 6.7 feet.
- Forecast...The river is expected to rise above flood stage
late tomorrow morning to a crest of 23.3 feet tomorrow
evening. It will then fall below flood stage Tuesday morning.
- Flood stage is 17.0 feet.
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
&&
Fld Obs Forecasts
Location Stg Stg Day/Time Sun Mon Tue
1pm 1pm 1pm
Tarkio River
Fairfax 17.0 6.7 Sun 9am 6.7 21.4 14.3
&&
LAT...LON 4044 9543 4044 9534 4018 9538 4019 9546
$$
731 follow-up statement
245
WGUS83 KEAX 270119
FLSEAX
Flood Statement
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
819 PM CDT Sun Apr 26 2026
...The Flood Warning is cancelled for the following rivers in
Missouri...
Tarkio River at Fairfax affecting Holt and Atchison Counties.
MOC005-087-270230-
/O.CAN.KEAX.FL.W.0039.260427T1416Z-260427T0119Z/
/FFXM7.2.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.NO/
819 PM CDT Sun Apr 26 2026
...FLOOD WARNING IS CANCELLED...
The Flood Warning is cancelled for
the Tarkio River at Fairfax.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 7:15 PM CDT Sunday the stage was 6.7 feet.
- Forecast...The river is expected to rise to a crest of 12.8
feet Tuesday morning.
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
&&
Fld Obs Forecasts
Location Stg Stg Day/Time Mon Tue Wed
1am 1am 1am
Tarkio River
Fairfax 17.0 6.7 Sun 7pm 6.7 12.6 11.0
&&
LAT...LON 4044 9543 4044 9534 4018 9538 4019 9546
$$
WilliamsWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this river flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before this river flood warning went out at Apr 26, 6:36 AM CDT, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Conditional Threat for Severe Storms Late Afternoon Sunday
- Strong to Severe Storm Clusters Expected Sunday Evening Through Overnight
- Additional Severe Threat Continues Into Monday; Uncertain Evolution
- Flooding Issues Possible With Heavy Rainfall Sunday Night through Monday Night
Area forecast discussion, Apr 26, 6:36 AM CDT, 3 hours 50 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
636 AM CDT Sun Apr 26 2026
...Updated 12z Aviation...
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Conditional Threat for Severe Storms Late Afternoon Sunday
- Strong to Severe Storm Clusters Expected Sunday Evening Through
Overnight
- Additional Severe Threat Continues Into Monday; Uncertain Evolution
- Flooding Issues Possible With Heavy Rainfall Sunday Night through
Monday Night
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 431 AM CDT Sun Apr 26 2026
Subtle H5 ridge axis across the area will shift eastward through the
morning hours and will give way to mid-level height falls by the
afternoon as a primary trough axis begins to lift out of the desert
southwest today. Stronger dCVA will begin to occur across the
Central and Southern High Plains this afternoon which will provide
the lift needed to deepen the surface cyclone currently positioned
over the Texas Panhandle. Cold front that triggered convection over
Central Kansas has stalled overnight positioned from northwest of
Wichita to just west of Des Moines. This is progged to remain
stalled while the surface cyclone deepens today, with southerly
surface flow increasing through the afternoon. WAA will steadily
allow temperatures to climb into the mid and upper 70s this
afternoon, and increasing moisture transport will send dewpoints
into the mid 60s. However stronger mixing will be possible this
afternoon that could take dewpoints back down into the lower 60s
after the 20z time frame. The first wave for vort maxima to traverse
from eastern Kansas into the lower Missouri River Valley will be
after 16z late this morning into the early afternoon. The HRRR and
other CAMs have developed a few cells along with this forcing,
though struggle to sustain them likely due to the fact that they
move away from the cold front. Deep layer shear will be pushing 40-
50kts by the afternoon as mid-level flow steadily increases, which
may foster better organization of storms. Increasing theta-e
deficits from the surface to the top of the convective boundary
layer may promote potential for stronger showers or storms in the
late afternoon to produce damaging wind gusts if the updrafts become
tall enough. Elongated hodographs perhaps could foster hail embryo
growth if a persistent updraft is able to develop, but may be
limited if forcing is not persistent enough. But if a storm is able
to overcome weaker lift, could see hail diameter above 2 inches in
the most robust storms. The severe threat for convection between 20z-
00z late this afternoon is uncertain though, with fairly skinny CAPE
profiles as this first wave moves through.
Stronger deep convective initiation is expected across Central Kansas
late this afternoon through early evening, closer the cold front.
MUCAPE values per 00z HREF mean will push above 2000 J/kg from
Interstate 135 corridor eastward to western Missouri. Deepening
surface cyclone will back surface winds over central Kansas curving
the low-level hodograph, while mid and upper-level jet streak moves
ahead extending the upper portions of the hodograph. This
environment should be enough to promote supercell development east
of Interstate 135. However for our counties in extreme eastern
Kansas, a supercell storm mode may be hard to achieve, especially
with the primary deep convection initiation occurring much further
west. While the background environment could support a supercell
mode into eastern Kansas and far western Missouri, the more likely
scenario will be for discrete convection over Central Kansas to
congeal and grow upscale through the evening as the low-level jet
intensifies, potentially pushing above 50 kts. The 00z and 06z HRRR
have shown upscale growth after 00z this evening, with a few bowing
segments suggestive of damaging wind. The low-level hodographs in
model soundings show a drastic increase in cyclonic curvature as the
low-level jet kicks in, with SRH values in the 0-1km layer possibly
pushing above 350 m^2/s^2. Hodographs are elongated from 3km and
above which will help updrafts persist and provide potential for
cold pools to balance. It may actually be possible for some of these
segments to take on a hybrid storm mode that could feature some
supercell characteristics to them that would actually foster larger
hail growth, still above 2 inches in diameter, and with the wind
threat, could even foster a setup for wind driven hail. Main
question with late evening activity is if there would be enough CAPE
in the hail growth zone, but, if one of these segments develops a
stronger mesocyclone, could overcome any thermodynamic issues to
develop large hail. As for the tornado threat, the low-level shear
is expected to be there, as well as overall SRH values. However, the
storm mode and location of initial deep convection will play large a
role. Cold pool propagation may result in storm motions that would
make vorticity ingest more crosswise than streamwise, which would
limit tornado potential, but still provide enough for large hail. 0-
3 km bulk shear magnitude should steadily increase above 30 kts
heading into the overnight hours, and if it aligns perpendicular
with any segment, may lend itself to favorable mesovortex
generation. We will also need to monitor the 0-3km MLCAPE profile
though, as this could be a limiting factor in any QLCS spin up
activity. Another conditional tornado scenario with a bowing segment
would be the development of a strong rear inflow jet that develops a
bookend vortex and deeper mesocyclone. With the background kinematic
environment, this is may not be out of the question, just depends on
how long things can stay in balance before any outflow pushes out.
The primary bowing segments move into eastern Missouri between 10-
12z Monday morning. Additional development of elevated convection
may be possible on the backside of the system though, with another
mid-level vort maxima pushing through, and perhaps the cold front
still around with the surface low pushing into eastern Kansas. The
HRRR at least has developed new convection into the middle of Monday
morning, though thermodynamically may not have much to work with.
This then leads to a messy setup for Monday afternoon and evening
mainly across Central Missouri. With the surface cyclone still
moving through, lift will still be present through Monday. The big
question is how will overnight activity linger into the afternoon.
Will there be any remnant outflow boundaries that promote strong
differential heating? Might an MCV develop somewhere in the region
that ignites another round of convection? Another potential scenario
is that overnight activity lasts through sunrise, and is able to tap
into new instability and re-intensify, which could allow storms to
become severe again. The background kinematic environment will still
remain quite robust re-invigorating activity, even if convection
becomes elevated. Overall, the better parameter space for Monday
afternoon is along and east of the Mississippi River Valley, where
the center of this morning's issuance of SWODY2 has the level 3
enhanced risk. While it is hard to pinpoint specific hazards, the
main message is that severe weather may not be done Monday
afternoon, at least until the cold front clears the area.
Hydrology:
PWATs across the area will range from 1.30 to 1.50 inches while the
primary forcing moves through. Warm rain processes and potential for
tall-skinny CAPE profiles may lend itself to efficient rain rates
Sunday Night through Monday Night. There is still uncertainty with
the track of heaviest axis of QPF, but HREF LPMMs have been hinting
at pockets of 3-4 inches of rainfall along the Missouri River,
while mean QPF values sit around 2 inches. Current Flash Flood
Guidance for 3 hours of QPF is generally in the ballpark of 2 to 2.5
inches of rainfall, which could be achieved. Further, the event
from Thursday 4/23/2026 may still have the soil heavily saturated in
a few spots, along with a few rivers/streams that are still running
at elevated levels. While storm motions may be fast and progressive,
persistent forcing overnight into Monday morning may lead to new
development and training between Interstate 70 and Hwy. 36,
presenting potential for Flash Flooding. A Flash Flood Watch has
been issued for this general area. An expansion may become
necessary if we see any shift in the heaviest QPF axis, and perhaps
the 12z HREF will be able to provide more insight into the hydro
issues that will be possible.
&&
.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY/...
Issued at 633 AM CDT Sun Apr 26 2026
Isolated to scattered showers/storms possible this afternoon,
and fluctuating ceilings between low-end VFR and MVFR expected
as low pressure strengthens. Strong storms are expected to
develop in central Kansas later this afternoon, and eventually
congeal into a cluster of storms. These are likely to arrive
around the KS-MO state line between 00-03z. Additional
development is possible behind this. Ceilings will be low-end
MVFR, with down pours potentially resulting in periods of IFR
visibility.
&&
.EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...Flood Watch from this evening through Monday evening for
MOZ011>014-020>025-028>033-037>040.
KS...Flood Watch from this evening through Monday evening for
KSZ025-102>105.
&&
DISCUSSION...Krull
AVIATION...KrullHazardous weather outlook, Apr 26, 5:07 AM CDT, 5 hours 19 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO 0507 AM CDT Sun Apr 26 2026 KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040- 043>046-053-054-271007- Atchison KS-Miami-Linn KS-Doniphan-Leavenworth-Wyandotte-Johnson KS- Atchison MO-Nodaway-Worth-Gentry-Harrison-Mercer-Putnam-Schuyler- Holt-Andrew-De Kalb-Daviess-Grundy-Sullivan-Adair-Buchanan-Clinton- Caldwell-Livingston-Linn MO-Macon-Platte-Clay-Ray-Carroll-Chariton- Randolph-Jackson-Lafayette-Saline-Howard-Cass-Johnson MO-Pettis- Cooper-Bates-Henry- 0507 AM CDT Sun Apr 26 2026 This hazardous weather outlook is for northwest...north central and west central Missouri...as well as extreme eastern Kansas. .DAY ONE...Through tonight. Please go to https://weather.gov/media/eax/DssPacket.pdf for more information on potential weather hazards. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Please go to https://weather.gov/media/eax/DssPacket.pdf for more information on potential weather hazards. .KEY MESSAGES... - Conditional Threat for Severe Storms Late Afternoon Sunday - Strong to Severe Storm Clusters Expected Sunday Evening Through Overnight - Additional Severe Threat Continues Into Monday; Uncertain Evolution - Flooding Issues Possible With Heavy Rainfall Sunday Night through Monday Night
The office that day
Everything else NWS Kansas City, MO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 2:46 AM CDT | Flood Watch | EAX | Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Bates, Buchanan, Caldwell and 31 more | 38 hr |
| Apr 26, 10:19 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | EAX | Linn, Livingston | 3 days |
| Apr 26, 10:20 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | EAX | Carroll, Chariton, Linn, Livingston | 3 days |
| Apr 26, 10:20 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | EAX | Carroll, Chariton | 5 days |
| Apr 26, 10:25 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | EAX | Ray | 53 hr |
| Apr 26, 10:26 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | EAX | Carroll | 10 hr |
| Apr 26, 10:28 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | EAX | Buchanan | 10 hr |
| Apr 26, 10:30 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | EAX | Clay, Ray | 10 hr |
| Apr 26, 4:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Cass, Jackson | 50 min |
| Apr 26, 4:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Bates | 35 min |
| Apr 26, 4:58 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | EAX | Cass, Jackson | 12 min |
| Apr 26, 5:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Bates, Cass, Henry, Jackson, Johnson | 51 min |
| Apr 26, 5:45 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | EAX | Bates, Cass, Jackson | 3 hr |
| Apr 26, 5:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Henry, Johnson | 39 min |
| Apr 26, 6:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Henry, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Saline | 47 min |
| Apr 26, 6:56 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | EAX | Henry, Johnson | 3 hr |
Nearby
River Flood Warnings in Missouri, 2026Every river flood warning in 2026
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive; the gauge from the NWS water service and the USGS.