Allen County was spared the misery of a storm system that forced several water rescues in Wichita and El Dorado earlier in the day, but Tuesday’s torrential downpours still caused plenty of headaches.
Almost 3 inches of rain fell in Iola over the span of about two hours Tuesday afternoon, flooding streets and forcing city crews to close off Riverside Park.
Iola City Administrator Matt Rehder said floodwater entered the Recreation Community Building, but quickly receded.
“I know they’re doing some squeegeeing this morning,” Rehder told the Register Wednesday.
The building was reopened Wednesday, with standing water still visible in the northwest corner.
The floor is less than one year old, replacing flooring flooded in April 2024.
The Neosho River was expected to crest Wednesday afternoon at about 18 feet, or 10 feet above normal, enough to cause minor flooding along neighboring farmland, but still below the 21-foot threshold for what would be described as moderate flooding.
The river was expected to drop below flood stage — about 13 feet — by Thursday morning.
Several streets around town were closed temporarily because of stormwater runoff, and the rapidly rising Small Creek through town, Elm Creek south of Iola and the nearby Neosho River.
Elm Creek remained beyond its banks Wednesday morning, but the others receded relatively quickly once the rain subsided.
Counting the rains that fell overnight Monday and early Tuesday, nearly 4 inches of rain have fallen in Iola this week.
The slow-moving system dumped as much as 7 inches of rain Wichita and El Dorado.
Chances of rain ramp up again Thursday evening.
