This year has been a historic start to Kansas City's extreme weather season, with an above-average amount of storms and tornado warnings already, according to KCTV5 Chief Meteorologist Luke Dorris.
“We should still expect that the peak is yet to come,” Dorris told KCUR’s Up to Date. “May and June should still bring us even more ingredients than what we've had. This will probably go down as one we remember, and a lot of us already will.”
Dorris said the increased amount of storms could be tied to warmer than normal temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. The warm and humid air travels inland, Dorris said, fueling thunderstorms. For this same reason, Dorris is predicting an extra hot summer.
These historic storms have brought flooding to many parts of Kansas City, especially the area east of I-435 off of the 23rd street exit.
Businesses in this spot have been battling flooding for years. Will Rieke, owner of KC Cold Storage on E. 23rd Street, said the city tried to solve the issue by building a ditch, but that hasn't improved things. High waters have slowed down trucks and employees coming in and out of the storage facility, hurting his profits for days at a time.
“This has been happening for quite some time, and they still have not done anything which makes us angry,” Rieke told KCUR. “With the World Cup coming here, if it happens again, then not only will that make Kansas City look bad on a global scale, but it will ruin the travel logistics to the stadium, because we operate about two miles from there.”
Flooding has made other business like Frisca Gas Station completely inoperable. Gas station owner Khurram Gawed, who goes by JJ, said there is about 2 feet of water inside his station and 3-4 feet remaining outside.
Since the rains Monday morning, JJ said water levels have barely gone down — keeping his business closed indefinitely.
“The intersection is full with water, and the problem is there is no drainage,” JJ said. “Water is not draining at all. It's been one day and still the water, it's only gone down 2 to 3 inches.”
JJ blames the lack of drainage on parking lot built near his station a couple of years ago, where draining pipes get clogged.
JJ said he's reached out to several officials for help, including the Missouri Department of Transportation, which redirected him to KC Water. JJ said his case was soon marked as "resolved" by the department, even though the water remains.
Rieke, meanwhile, plans to send a letter to Kansas City officials.
- Luke Dorris, KCTV5 chief meteorologist
- Will Rieke, owner of KC Cold Storage
- Khurram Gawed (JJ), owner of Fisca Gas Station
