By KWMU staff
St. Louis, MO. –
Parts of southern Missouri received more than 10 inches of rain over the past two days, leaving four people dead and hundreds out of their homes.
Authorities resumed a search Wednesday for a man who was reported swept away by a swollen creek between Monett and Pierce City in southwest Missouri.
The rain is expected to come to an end Wednesday, allowing residents and officials from Springfield to Cape Girardeau a chance to assess damage.
Rain was lighter in the St. Louis area, but flood gates were closed around the region, including those at Laclede's Landing downtown and in suburban Valley Park.
The Meramec River has passed its flood stage of 16 feet at Valley Park, and is forecast to crest at 39.6 feet early Saturday, just below the top of the town's new levee.
No flooding is forecast for the Mississippi River at St. Louis, but the river is forecast to crest a few inches below flood stage late Friday.
National Weather Service meteorologist Ben Miller said a stalled front caused the heavy rain, but he said the weather system is moving out of Missouri and into the Ohio Valley, where more flood warnings have been issued.