Such pretty colors on the rainfall map

A tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to bring very heavy rain to portions of Texas before heading toward Missouri. Just lovely.

The 7-day rainfall projection is showing a large area of red (3+ inches) through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and into Ohio.

Right now, the track of the system takes it just to the north and west of Cape Girardeau, keeping the bulk of the rain away from us. In their afternoon discussion, the forecasters at NWS Paducah explain:

THE IMPACTS OF THE SYSTEM DO NOT LOOK VERY HIGH IN OUR AREA. AS WITH MOST TROPICAL SYSTEMS...THE BULK OF THE RAINFALL SHOULD BE ALONG AND LEFT OF THE LOW TRACK. OUR REGION MAY RECEIVE NOTHING MORE THAN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS FROM THIS SYSTEM.

Nevertheless, if the storm were to wobble and take a more southern track, we could find ourselves right in the middle of the monsoon.

Even if we dodge the storm here, the heavy rain forecasted for central Missouri will push the Mississippi River higher. The current forecast for Cape Girardeau calls for the river to climb to "Moderate Flood" level of 37 feet on Friday.