The National Hurricane Center said Thursday, July 17 a broad area of low pressure is expected to bring heavy rainfall to portions of the Gulf Coast.

In Kansas City, Kansas, the right lane on westbound K-32, also known as the Kaw Valley Scenic Highway, is closed between South 78th Street and Swartz Road due to flooding. The Kansas Department of Transportation expects the lane to be closed for the next week or two, Kansas City area public information officer Delaney Tholen said.

A sprawling area storms churning toward the Gulf Coast threatens to bring significant rain and flash flooding this week to a large swath of the southeast, from the Florida panhandle to Louisiana and parts of eastern Texas.

Several historic and deadly flash flooding events have occurred in the U.S. just within the month of July alone. Experts talk about what factors are increasing the risks.

Atlantic, Hill Country, Texas, central Florida, southern Arizona, and the Upper Midwest are at risk for more flooding rainfall on Tuesday.

Heavy rains during the evening brought flooding, road closures and power outages throughout New Jersey, which is under a state of emergency.

The tropical disturbance we've been following in the northern Gulf is broad and disorganized. The ill-defined center will move into southeastern Louisiana today. Heavy, persistent rain will bring the threat of flash flooding across southern Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast.

The Center Valley area in Upper Saucon Township, where flooding was reported along Route 309, had a recorded 6 inches of rainfall, making it the highest rainfall total in the Lehigh Valley, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Other areas had about 1 or 2 inches of rain.