Rain, possibly severe weather coming this weekend

A storm moving through the area could bring 5 inches of rain to already sodden streets around Cape Girardeau.

Kelly Hooper, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., said there would probably be a few showers arriving before the storm as early as today. Hooper said the heaviest rain would likely start falling early today and last through Saturday night, ending about 6 a.m. Sunday.

"We've got right around 5 inches for you guys," Hooper said, adding that flooding is possible.

The threat of severe weather also is possible Saturday afternoon or evening, Hooper said.

"It's a slow but vigorous system and has the potential to produce severe weather. We'll watch that one real closely and maybe define the severe threat" as early as today, he

said.

The main severe threat is south of the Ohio River, but the threat still exists over Southeast Missouri, he said. This could include damaging hail, damaging winds or even tornadoes, but it won't be a "high-end" outbreak, Hooper

said.

The storm is coming in from the west with the moisture coming up out of the south. "And it'll combine over the area with a vigorous system to produce copious amounts of rainfall," Hooper said.

This will be the third time in a month a weather event has hit the Cape Girardeau area. Tornadoes hit the region in late November, and a major snowstorm arrived earlier this month.

On the heels of temperatures in the 50s, parts of the state could see a combination of rain, freezing rain and snow, The Associated Press reported. National Weather Service meteorologist Jon Carney said the "hodgepodge of precipitation" will depend on temperatures rising above -- or below -- freezing.

The AP said the NWS has issued freezing rain advisories in western Missouri, flash flood watches in southwest Missouri and flood watches in the eastern part of the state. The report said eastern Missouri will see the most rain.

Carney said up to 4 inches of rain is possible today through Saturday night, especially south of Interstate 44. Combined with snowmelt from last weekend's storm that dumped up to 8 inches of snow in parts of eastern Missouri, many streams, creeks and small rivers could rise quickly.

"It's definitely a concern that there could be flooding," Carney told the AP. Larger rivers such as the Missouri and Mississippi are well below normal, so there's no concern about flooding there.

Western Missouri is expected to receive less precipitation, but freezing rain remains a possibility. Carney said eastern Missouri will see freezing rain, too, but it should be warm enough it won't be on the ground long.

When the rain and freezing rain end, snow is forecast in northern Missouri. Carney said the snow should start Saturday night and end by midday Sunday, dumping up to 5 inches on a line from Kansas City to the northeast Missouri town of Kirksville. Mid-Missouri towns such as Columbia and Boonville should see 2 to 3 inches of snow, the AP reported.

Officials with the Missouri State Highway Patrol urged motorists to be careful, noting last week's weather resulted in 10 traffic deaths over a 24-hour period. The patrol urged drivers to remove snow and ice from the vehicle before driving, allow extra time, and watch out for roads that look wet but are really ice-covered.