Soldiers among 24 dead in massive storm; more severe weather to come

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Two men are dead after one of them drove the wrong way on Interstate 70 in north St. Louis and c…

In a news conference Monday afternoon Gov. Jay Nixon said ten people have died since flooding began. At least 11 people died and dozens were injured in apparently strong tornadoes that swept through the Dallas area and caused substantial damage this weekend. Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp said firefighters walked to safety a driver whose auto was stranded in standing water on Blackfoot Road shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday.

In New Mexico, Gov. Susana Martinez also declared a state of emergency Sunday, saying 16 inches of snow had already fallen in some parts of the state, making roads impassable. The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes hit multiple cities around Dallas on Saturday evening.

In south-central Missouri’s Laclede County, Gasconade River floodwaters forced the closure Monday of eastbound Interstate 44, prompting a 49-mile detour, the state’s Department of Transportation said.

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s department’s initial investigation estimates that the victims vehicle was swept into a creek and rolled over while attempting to cross a low water crossing.

Many rivers and streams are also predicted to reach historic flood levels, and perhaps all-time record levels.

While forecasts indicate the rain will end Monday night in most parts of the state, Nixon warned that flooding was only expected to get worse.

“We talk a lot about not driving into water… and a vast number of the deaths we have right here are because of exactly that”, Nixon said.

More than 900 flights had been canceled across the country and another 1,000 were delayed by 10:30 a.m. ET Monday, according to FlightAware.com.

Sikeston received more than 4.5 inches of rain over the weekend, with two more inches of rain expected today.

Officials in Birmingham, Alabama, say more than 70 structures sustained some type of damage after a tornado touched down on Christmas. Flash flood and tornado warnings extended into Saturday night for the region, according to the Weather Service.