Thunderstorms lead to lightning strike, accidents

Early morning thunderstorms resulted in minor flooding, at least three motor vehicle accidents and a home struck by lightning Tuesday in Southeast Missouri.

From 8 a.m. Monday to 8 a.m. Tuesday, the downtown Cape Girardeau weather station reported 0.91 inches of rainfall. That led to minor flooding in at least four areas in the city Tuesday morning.

Sgt. Barry Hovis of the Cape Girardeau Police Department reported the intersection of Merriwether and Ellis streets was flooded for a short period.

Robert Kutak of the Cape Girardeau Public Works Department said that by 8 a.m., reports of three flooded streets came into his office.

Kutak said the intersections of Normal Avenue and Sprigg Street and Normal and Henderson avenues and a section of Highland Drive also had standing water. The city's storm-water crew removed leaves from the intakes of all three intersections by 8:30 a.m., allowing water to recede.

At 7:31 a.m., the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to a no-injury accident at the intersection of Route K and Highway 25 in Gordonville.

Twenty minutes later, lightning struck a farming complex at 3061 County Road 241, one mile north of Allenville. Whitewater and Delta fire districts arrived on the scene at 8:07 a.m. Whitewater Fire Protection District safety officer Roger English said lightning struck a large tree, traveled through its roots to a fence, which caught on fire. The propane line on the fence then blew out part of the electrical box inside and outside the home on the property. No additional damage was reported.

Later in the afternoon, several other crashes were reported in the area, including one in which the passenger was treated for moderate injuries. It was unclear whether all of the accidents were weather-related.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628