AP News Guide: A look at flooding in Missouri, Illinois

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A rare winter flood that brought record crests along the Mississippi River in Missouri and Illinois and swamped parts of southwest Missouri caused evacuations and at least 20 deaths, with the threat of more flooding expected to last until early next week.

Mark Fuchs, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service in St. Louis, says three-day rainfall totals of 9 to 11 inches stretched from southwest to east-central Missouri, causing rainfall totals that occur only every 100 to 300 years.

The largest evacuation was in West Alton, Missouri, where 400 people left their homes by early Wednesday, said Mike O'Connell, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

Limited evacuations also were conducted in low-lying areas such as the St. Louis suburb of Valley Park, Kimmswick in Jefferson County and McBride in Perry County, O'Connell said.

[...] residents in about 55 duplexes and 100 single-family homes in the tourist community of Branson, Missouri, were evacuated but the city's popular shopping district remained open and busy Wednesday.

Gov. Jay Nixon's office said nearly all of the victims were in cars that drove onto water-covered roads in the heavy rain during the weekend.