By MARSHALL WHITE 
St. Joseph News-Press 
Tuesday, April 17, 2001 

Despite only slightly higher than normal average precipitation this year, recent rains have saturated much of Northwest Missouri and Northeastern Kansas, creating concerns for flash flooding. 
By last Wednesday, the National Weather Service was issuing warnings about flash flooding for Northwest Missouri. 
Iowa and Nebraska joined the list of possible areas for flash flooding when the weather service said that a combination of snowmelt and rainfall led to rises in area rivers and streams in those states. 
According to the Earth Satellite Corp. in Rockville, Md., and the National Weather Service, it is something the entire region is susceptible to. 

The Satellite Corp. has worked with the weather service to develop a highly detailed computer map that indicates how much rain must fall in a three-hour period before an area can expect flooding based on current weather conditions. The map changes regularly to reflect changing weather conditions. 

The two weather groups predicted Friday that most of this area in Kansas and Missouri could see some degree of flash flooding if another two inches of rain falls in a three-hour period. Some areas would only require about an inch in three hours before there was a possibility of flash flooding at this time. 

Since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been "fooling" with the Missouri River, the river doesn't have the capacity it used to and now we really have to watch the tributaries like the Nishnabotna, Nodaway and Big Tarkio rivers, said Chester Caton, a farmer near Mound City, Mo. 

Mr. Caton believes the use of dykes to control river flow and a boat channel have created large areas where silt has built up and significantly reduced the Missouri River's capacity for holding water. 

He said that each spring it seems some areas along rivers and streams, like the 102, Platte, Nodaway, Nishnabotna and Big Tarkio, in Missouri are flooded. 

Agency, Mo., is located beside the 102 River where it has already flooded at least once this spring. 

Whatever the reason for flash flooding, now area residents with computer access can check their county's current risk for flash flooding by going to this Internet Web site: 
http://www.earthsat.com/wx/flooding/floodthreat.html.