Car traverse standing water in downtown Washington at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Washington Street. Photos by Sally Hart.

The KCII Severe Weather Action Team responded to a severe thunderstorm warning for southeastern Washington County and northern Henry County at 5:45 p.m. Monday. Heavy rainfalls were reported with over 1.4 inches of rain recorded between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. In total, just under three inches of rain fell Monday. Flooded streets and standing water was reported.

At 5:15 p.m. it was reported that a lightning strike caused an electrical board to ignite at Haifley’s Truck Repair in Washington; the Washington Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire.

Jefferson County had 371 customers without power as the storms rolled through at 6:10 p.m. Five members of the KCII team responded and assisted in getting storm information to listeners first, fast, and accurately. Trained weather spotters are on staff and KCII has back up generators so if the power goes out, storm coverage continues on air to keep the community informed.

The heavy rainfalls caused area river levels to rise. The Iowa River was within one foot of flood stage at 6 a.m. this morning after rising over two feet at Columbus Junction and Wapello. Listen to KCII for weather updates.