Oh look, there's more rain the forecast

The current forecast for the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau shows a crest of 47 feet late next week.

This would be the 3rd or 4th highest crest on record, depending on whether the river can exceed the 47.00 reading set in 1995. The all-time highest crests are:

1. 48.86 ft on Jan. 2, 2016
2. 48.49 ft on Aug. 8, 1993
3. 47.00 ft on May 24, 1995
4. 46.90 ft on Aug. 3, 1993
5. 46.28 ft on May 3, 2011

The spring pattern of heavy rain and thunderstorms has temporarily shifted toward more of a drier summer pattern. However, this may be short-lived, especially to our west. The 7-Day rainfall projection brings back yet another red zone for 3+ inches over southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas -- all areas that have been hard hit by flooding already.

Some of this excessive rainfall will end up in the Missouri River and ultimately the Mississippi. The only silver lining is that Nebraska and Iowa are expected to be spared from the worst of this next round of rain, which may ease some of the pressure on the upper Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

Looking ahead, though, reveals a continued wet pattern. The extended 6-10 and 8-14 Day outlooks continue to lean toward above-average precipitation across the Midwest -- same as it ever was.

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is worried about a slight risk of heavy precipitation from June 8-10. Oh joy!