Some areas could see up to 5 inches of additional rains as another round of heavy rain threatens the Kansas City area. Tornado threat is low.

Multiple drivers ignored the warning and chanced driving through the high water. Emergency crews warn doing so is incredibly dangerous. The Kansas City Fire Department said it responded to eight water rescues Thursday night into Friday morning. Additional rescues are possible if it continues to rain.

Torrential rainfall from active thunderstorms is causing widespread flash flooding across a 1,000-mile stretch of the Plains and Midwest on Friday, with Kansas City particularly hard hit.

The heaviest rain from the overnight storms fell along a line from Lexington to Carrollton, Missouri, the weather service said on social media. More than 7 inches of rain fell near Carrollton, according to local storm reports. Meanwhile, 3.68 inches of rain fell near Mosby.

Kansas City is under threat of repeated rounds of heavy rain through Friday night, with Flood Watches issued across the metro and surrounding areas. Forecasters warn of rainfall rates that could approach 2 inches per hour in some of the cells.

The Kansas City Fire Department says its 18 water rescues involved cars stuck in high water. Flooding was reported in Merriam, Kansas, along Brush Creek near The Plaza and in Kansas City's West Bottoms.

A flood advisory was released by the National Weather Service on Thursday at 7:52 p.m. in effect until 10:45 p.m. The advisory is for Johnson, Jackson, Miami, Bates and Cass counties.