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Several states are reeling after strong rains dumped inches of water in a series of strong storms that ravaged the Midwest. Storms raged from Missouri to Ohio and led to the deaths of over a dozen people. Many more were injured in rising flash flood water and were forced to evacuate some towns. Heavy rain has pounded the region for the last two days and some areas of Missouri experienced rainfall of over a foot.

President Bush declared 70 Missouri counties as disaster areas, and the National Guard was deployed in hard-hit areas of the state. Ohio was also hard hit. Drivers in downtown Columbus, Ohio, were unable to use U.S. Highway 23 because its northbound lanes were flooded. Other areas of Interstate 70 were also closed due to high water.

Forecasters say that the worst of the rain is over but that some areas should expect the flood waters in rivers to peak as late as Saturday. The long term forecast for this spring predicts more wet weather ahead. The flooding danger is high for much of the Mississippi River basin, the Ohio River basin, the lower Missouri River basin, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, most of New York, all of New England and portions of the West, including Colorado and Idaho.