2 to 4 inches of rain drenched Southeast Missouri this morning

Rains that soaked Southeast Missouri earlier today prompted a late-morning flash flood warning and caused traffic problems on some Cape Girardeau streets.

By the end of the rain in the early afternoon, 2 to 4 inches had fallen over the area, said National Weather Service meteorologist David Humphrey. The amount of rain varied from place to place around the area.

At 8:40 a.m., 10 inches of water had covered an isolated part of Hopper Drive near Clippard Elementary School. Cape Girardeau Police Sgt. Barry Hovis said that most cars were coming to a complete stop as they approached the high water but were able to navigate around the flooded area.

An hour later, trained weather spotters reported water covering the road at the intersection of William Street and Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

Meanwhile, three accidents have been reported in the area this morning.

At 7:39 a.m., a two-car accident was reported at the intersection of Mount Auburn Road and William Street. Passengers in both cars with possible injuries were taken to the hospital.

Nine minutes later the police reported a car rollover near mile marker 91 on Interstate 55 southbound. No injuries were reported.

Shortly after that, a white vehicle ran off the road near mile marker 90 on I-55 southbound. In that accident, no injuries were reported.

Ameren UE reported a sharp increase in the number of power outages in the area. At 9:40 a.m., 11 of the 23,778 customers Ameren serves in Cape Girardeau County were without power. By 10:10 a.m., that number had increased to 285 customers without electricity.

Power had been restored to all but eight customers by 1 p.m., according to the company's website.

From 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. today, 2.26 inches of rain had fallen in Cape Girardeau, according to the downtown weather station.

The National Weather Service advised motorists to avoid flooded roads, as one foot of flowing water is powerful enough to sweep vehicles off the roadway.

A slight chance of thunderstorms remains in the forecast tonight.