An extended period of rain could bring flooding in the Ames area going into this week.

Thunderstorms Saturday led to Iowa State’s first football game to be canceled shortly into the first quarter, and continued showers followed leading to nearly five inches of rain and scattered reports of flooding.

Allan Curtis, a meteorologist for the National Weather service, said this amount of rain is “unusual” for the first week of September.

“This is a pretty unusual amount of rain for this time of year, for reference, during September we usually get three, four maybe five inches of rain for the entire month,” Curtis said. “We are well past that in many spots.”

Curtis said there was some potential for flooding, especially around low lying areas near streams as it “wouldn’t be surprising to see another two-to-four inches” by Thursday.

“In terms of flooding potential we have seen some flooding in areas, not around Ames yet fortunately, but in Waterloo and the Atlantic area we have seen road closures and flooding,” Curtis said. “That could change if we get another three-to-five inches over the next week. We might see some issues.”

By the end of Thursday, Curtis said the chance for flooding drops considerably since extended breaks from rainfall are expected at the end of the week. Rain is expected to go into the weekend, but the breaks should allow for some relief and recovery from possible flooding.

Flooding in Ames has happened multiple times in recent years and while Curtis said this amount of rain is unusual, it is more about luck rather than an overall trend.

“We just happen to be stuck in a pattern where we are just caught in the bullseye,” Curtis said. “If it wasn’t us it would be someone else around us, we just drew the short straw this time.”

The extent of weather concerns going into next week mainly include flooding as other extreme weather events are unexpected.

Curtis said their concern is relatively low when it comes to overall extreme weather like tornados or high winds. Instead, their concerns are with the amount of rain coming in. If there is flooding, Curtis had tips to stay safe.

Curtis said if a flash flood warning is active, driving near small creeks or streams would likely lead to “significant issues.” If someone is driving and water is in the road, it is best to turn around rather than risk it. He suggested people stay safe and use their head before making decisions.