From the Associated Press

WEATHERFORD, Texas — Returning residents who had evacuated their home this week kept watch Saturday night on the Brazos River, which officials expected to swell again on Sunday after opening another flood gate at a nearby lake.

The river was expected to crest around 26 feet, a foot above flood stage, after Brazos River Authority officials opened a fourth flood gate at Possum Kingdom Lake in north Texas on Saturday afternoon.

The river peaked above 27 feet on Thursday, prompting Parker County to order a mandatory evacuation of 2,000 people.

Authorities encouraged residents to seek higher ground as the lake runoff moved downstream.

“The next crest doesn’t appear that it’s going to be as bad as the first one,” Parker County spokesman Joel Kertok said. “We just need to keep an eye on it.”

Storms on the southern Plains have claimed 11 lives in Texas starting last week. Forecasters expected rain to continue dumping on already sopped parts of North Texas up through Missouri as part of a lingering storm system.

On Saturday, there were reports of tornadoes touching down in southwest Missouri. No injuries were reported and officials were awaiting damage reports.

The rain-swollen rivers in western Missouri were expected to continue to rise into next week, emergency officials said.

In southeastern Kansas, three days of rain led to voluntary evacuations in Iola.

“Various sections in the south of town are under water, and the water is climbing,” said assistant city administrator Corey Schinstock. “We have had over 15 inches of rain the last three days. ...All the creeks are flooding.”

East of Iola, emergency workers used ropes and a harness to rescue two teenagers trapped on top of a pickup truck. They were trapped for about two hours after the truck became wedged against a tree at a low-water crossing in Crawford State Park, the Crawford County sheriff’s department said.

Lt. Chuck Yokley of the Kansas Highway Patrol said some homes and businesses in Neodesha, Kan., were damaged from flooding and that residents were being told to boil their drinking water.