Heavy rains hit SW Missouri

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - Flood watches continue for southwest Kansas and western Missouri after a few days of heavy rain that has forced closures of several rural roadways.

The National Weather Service said Wednesday that the large, slow-moving storm over north Texas was expected to continue pushing eastward, producing more rain in Missouri and Kansas. Up to 4 inches of rain has been recorded in the Missouri Ozarks and southeast Kansas. The rain is expected to taper off Thursday.

The Missouri Department of Transportation reported several roadway sections closed across southwest and south-central Missouri because of high water. Cherokee County, Kan., Sheriff David Groves also told The Joplin Globe that (http://bit.ly/GGRgbe ) low-lying county roads had flooded there, as they do during rains each spring.

No major damage or injuries have been reported.