Flooding rain soaked parts of the Southwest and Plains from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to Nebraska as record late September tropical moisture partially from the remnant of former Hurricane Polo flowed northward into the nation's heartland.

Timeline

This multi-day flood event ramped up on Monday, Sept. 28 in the Desert Southwest as deeper moisture from the tropics arrived.

It then was boosted from the remnant spin and moisture from what was Hurricane Polo the following day, then gradually spread into the Plains over the next several days, lasting into Friday, Oct. 2.

Southwest impacts

In the Southwest, typically dry arroyos and washes were flooded and sections of roads were swamped, trapping vehicles.

Flooding swamped Casino Drive and the Laughlin River Walk beneath the Edgewater Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. One vehicle was also stuck in mud in the city about 75 miles south-southeast of Las Vegas.

A box truck was swept away by floodwaters north of Phoenix. The driver was able to make it out safely. At least one other water rescue was performed in the metro area for somebody who thought they could drive through the water, but failed.

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Several washes and even Interstate 10 saw flooding Tuesday between Tucson and Phoenix.

Vehicles were flooded and stuck in Bullhead City, Arizona, Needles and Indio Hills, California.

A yard and basement were flooded in Hurricane, Utah, while a large cargo container was swept down the East Fork of the Virgin River and struck the U.S. 89 bridge in Mt. Carmel, Utah.

(MORE: Flooding is one of deadliest weather events)

Plains impacts

In Texas, heavy rain hit the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro area, closing stretches of Interstates 30 and 35E and stranding vehicles. Several homes were flooded near Amarillo and basements were flooded in the north Houston suburb of The Woodlands.

In Kansas, vehicles were stuck on city streets in Wichita, multiple water rescues were needed in Dodge City and approximately a dozen bridges in Jewell County needed repair after the flooding.

In Nebraska, torrential rain in Lincoln stranded numerous vehicles, requiring water rescues on the night of Sept. 30.

And in Iowa, landslides and road washouts were reported in Harrison and Shelby Counties. One person was injured when a section of road washed out in Persia.

In addition to the flooding, multiple tornadoes were sighted by spotters in the Texas Panhandle and western Kansas. One of those damaged outbuildings near Susank, Kansas.

Record rain, moisture

The amount of moisture in the atmosphere either topped or was near records for late September or early October from parts of Texas to South Dakota and northern Illinois, according to the National Weather Service.

Lincoln, Nebraska, had its record wettest day since 1887 when it measured a whopping 6.15 inches of rain on Sept. 30.

Over a dozen reporting stations picked up from 6 to just over 8 inches of rain in southeast Nebraska, according to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center.

That's more than any other known Nebraska rain event associated with a remnant of a tropical system, topping a 6-inch rain total from the remnant of the nation's deadliest hurricane, the 1900 Galveston hurricane, according to data compiled by NOAA/WPC.

"Looking back through history, heavy rains from the remnants of tropical systems are very rare across western Kansas," wrote Jonathan Finch, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Dodge City, Kansas, in a forecast discussion Tuesday morning.

This soaking also lead to the record wettest Septembers in Albuquerque (4.49 inches) and Amarillo, Texas (6.42 inches).

Des Moines, Iowa, had its wettest month in 112 years. Their 14.5 inches of rain in September was the most since Woodrow Wilson's first term as President.

How to stay safe during flash floods

When heavy rain threatens, never try to drive through a flooded road. 

It may be tough to tell how deep the water is when you approach a flooded section of road, especially at night, so never try to proceed — instead, "Turn around. Don't drown," as the National Weather Service says. 

Driving into a flooded area can allow water to stall or submerge your vehicle in a matter of minutes or even seconds.

Take warnings seriously. Your local National Weather Service office issues a flash flood warning when flash flooding is either already happening or expected to develop based on rainfall rates and radar trends. 

You should make sure you are aware of possible flooding in your area when one is issued and avoid travel if possible, especially at night.

If a flash flood emergency is issued, that's your signal that the situation is dire, and you should avoid travel and head to higher ground if you are in a flood-prone location.

(MORE: What to do before, during and after a flood)