Associated Press

A storm moving east across North Dakota on Sunday brought heavy rain and tornado and flood warnings.

Parts of southeastern North Dakota were under a flood warning Sunday because of heavy rain.

The National Weather Service said Ransom, Richland and Sargent counties would be under a flood warning until noon today.

The weather service said the heaviest rainfall of 4 to 6 inches occurred from western Sargent through central Ransom counties.

The Ransom County Sheriff's Office advised no travel on Sunday on county roads due to heavy rain.

Bill Barrett, a weather service meteorologist in Grand Forks, said a slow-moving cold front moving east across the state, behind clear skies, made "air more unstable ahead of the front."

The weather service canceled a tornado warning for southeastern Grant County on Sunday but much of the central part of the state continued under a tornado watch through early evening.

"It's starting to de-intensify a bit," said Charlene Prindiville, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck, said Sunday afternoon.

Prindiville said heavy rain and excessive runoff caused the James River near Ludden to rise above flood stage on Sunday.

In South Dakota on Sunday, heavy weekend rain - a month's worth in one hour in Aberdeen - pushed the James River over its banks. Forecasters expected the river to rise another 4 to 6 feet over the next week before it crests.