Heavy rain causes more flash flooding in St. Louis

The St. Louis area was under a flash flood warning Thursday as heavy rain once again hit the area following what the National Weather Service called a "historic rainfall event" earlier this week. Thursday's flash flood warning is in effect until at least 5:45 p.m. local time, NWS said.

"Between 2 and 3 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts up to 1 inch are possible in the warned area, but rain is quickly moving east out of the area," NWS St. Louis said Thursday. "Flash flooding is ongoing."

The St. Louis Fire Department on Thursday responded to numerous calls of vehicles that had been stranded on flooded roads. The fire department warned motorists that several feet of flooding had been reported, and said not to drive through standing water.

The fire department also responded to a report of a church daycare facility with "multiple persons/children trapped in a dwelling with rising flood water." The fire department later confirmed that it "carried six children to safety from high/standing water." No injuries were reported. 

Thursday's flooding comes two days after parts of the St. Louis metropolitan area saw up to 10 inches of rain, according to NWS. At least two people appear to have been killed in Tuesday's flooding. 

Public safety officials discovered one body inside a vehicle that was underwater at an intersection, St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Officials had been called to the scene because the car was submerged, and they found the person's remains when the floodwater began to recede around 10 a.m., Jenkerson said. 

The incident has been classified as a "sudden death" pending further investigation, the St. Louis Police Department said in a statement, and the medical examiner's office will ultimately determine the cause.

Another body was found Wednesday in Hazlewood, located just northwest of St. Louis, the Hazelwood Police Department said. Police discovered an unoccupied semi-truck that appeared to have been completely submerged in water at one point. After searching the area, they found the body of an adult male who was identified as the missing truck driver, police said, adding that there were "no obvious signs of foul play."

Emily Mae Czachor contributed reporting.