The National Weather Service's main reporting site in Central Missouri, Columbia Regional Airport, set a record for rainfall Wednesday with more than 2.4 inches falling over a 24-hour period.
The previous record of nearly 1.2 inches was set in 2008.
The NWS in St. Louis said most of Central Missouri saw 2-3 inches of rainfall with a system that started moving through the area Wednesday night and exited Thursday afternoon.
The heavy rain led to many road closures in Cole County due to flooding.
As of Thursday, roads listed as closed by the Cole County Public Works Department included: Campbell Road, Payne Road, North Branch Road, Loesch Road, Bainer Road, Zion Road, Buffalo Road, Waterford Road, Murphys Ford Road, East Lohman Road, Vaughn Ford Road, Buffalo Road and Walnut Acres Road.
In many of these locations the county has low-water bridges or low-water crossings. These bridges and crossings are designed to handle normal or average rainfall, county officials said, but they will overtop during heavy rains.
All rivers in the Jefferson City area were forecast to crest above their flood stages over the next 24 hours.
The Missouri River in Jefferson City was forecast to reach 26.3 feet by Friday afternoon, 3 feet over flood stage of 23 feet. The forecast calls for it to fall below flood stage as soon as Saturday afternoon.
The Moreau River is predicted to reach 26 feet by Friday morning , 9 feet above flood stage of 17 feet. The NWS believes it will go below flood stage by Saturday morning.
The Osage River at the Mari-Osa Campground was expected to have moderate flooding, reaching 20.7 feet by Friday morning, nearly 2 feet above flood stage of 19 feet. The river is forecast to go below flood stage by Saturday morning.
Additional resources:
Ameren's Truman and Bagnall Dam daily report
National Weather Service updates for Missouri on Twitter
MoDOT Traveler Information Map
This article was updated at 4:05 p.m. March 18, 2021, with new information.