OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Forecasters say major flooding is likely in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa over the next couple days and some rural roads already had to be closed after being covered with water.

The National Weather Service says this week’s significant rain is especially problematic because much of the region is still covered by a blanket of snow and the ground is still frozen, so the rail flows right into streams and rivers.

The potential for flooding grows in places where chunks of ice often block the flow in ice jams.

In northeast Nebraska, the Madison County Sheriff’s office says it ran out of barricades after closing more than a half dozen roads, including U.S. Highway 275 near West Point.