Heavy rains inundate St. Louis on Election Day, flooding some streets

The flooding knocked out power to a polling station in Bellefontaine Neighbors, allowing it to run on generators.

Floodwaters closed roads across the region. In Jefferson County, the sheriff said some drivers shouted at officers, accusing them of trying to suppress voting by blocking roads. The sheriff said they needed to ask about alternative routes.

At St. Louis Lambert International Airport, the National Weather Service said more than 3.6 inches of rain fell between midnight and 8 a.m. In the last two days, Lambert said he saw 7.35 inches of rain.

Rain was expected from the St. Louis area by Tuesday afternoon.

At 6 a.m. Tuesday, cars were under water on Skinker Boulevard. McKnight and Litzsinger streets were closed due to flooding from Deer Creek and vehicles were stranded. Motorists were stuck in rushing water near Bayless Avenue and I-55 in the city of St. Louis.

Police reported that several drivers were rescued after driving into floodwaters in the House Springs area of ​​Jefferson County.

Metro said flooding on Brentwood Boulevard prevented many of its buses from leaving the bus facility there. This meant that there was no bus service on a dozen routes.

Schools in Brentwood were closed due to a power outage and flooding nearby. Schools in Potosi were also closed due to flooding.

Water rose along some parts of Manchester Road and flooded the road, but businesses said there had been no flooding yet.

Late Monday evening, the National Weather Service suspected a tornado had downed telephone poles, a machine shed and several trees along Highway W near Foristell. Nobody was injured. The weather service said a survey team would head out later Tuesday to survey the damage and determine whether it was indeed a tornado.

Despite the rain, voters lined up at polling stations on Election Day on Tuesday morning. Authorities reported a steady flow of voters throughout the morning.

At 5 a.m., an hour before the doors opened, at least 30 people were already in line at the Grant's View Branch library, 9700 Musick Road. The early ones crowed under an overhang to seek shelter from heavy rains. Others lined the sidewalk with umbrellas.

In St. Louis County, Democratic elections director Eric Fey said the rains caused electrical equipment in Bellefontaine Neighbors to flood, knocking out power at the Holy Name Community Center polling place. Poll workers have switched to using a generator, Fey said.

Holy Name is located at 10257 Ashbrook Drive. Although ballots were cast there using the generator, the county urged voters to consider other voting locations.

That's the only weather-related issue, Fey said, aside from some minor ceiling leaks in some areas.

Flooding in Jefferson County shut down several roads, including Twin River Road near Highway W, causing problems accessing a polling place in Brookdale Farms.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said some officers blocking flooded roads Tuesday were yelled at by motorists, suggesting police were trying to suppress the vote.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook. “We’re trying to keep everyone informed about road closures so you can go around and vote.”

The sheriff recommends drivers “simply ask the deputy for an alternate route.”

This story will be updated.