Rain, storms expected for Monday; area flood warnings extended

Scattered showers peppered the Southeast Missouri region and the southern tip of Illinois on Saturday as the rain moved along a southwest line from Marble Hill, Mo., through Cape Girardeau toward western Kentucky.

Saturday evening was expected to be relatively dry.

The serious rain won't likely begin until later Monday, said Ryan Presley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

Cape Girardeau needs less than an inch of rain to exceed its all-time record for rainfall in one month, set at 16.89 inches in May of 1973.

Last week, the record for the total amount of rain for the month of March, set in 1977 at 11.89, was shattered by the 14.77 inches of precipitation that fell by March 22.

"If we're going to be breaking records for most rainfall, it probably won't happen until Monday," Presley said.

By press time Saturday, 0.16 inches of rain had fallen in Cape Girardeau, surpassing the tenth of an inch predicted earlier in the day.

By Tuesday night, the region could see another two or three inches of precipitation, Presley said.

Wind speeds could reach 20 mph, and thunderstorms are a possibility, though most of them are not expected to be severe.

The flood warning for the Mississippi River has been extended until Monday evening, though river levels continued to fall slightly Saturday.

It's expected to fall below the 32-foot flood stage by later today. At press time, the river level was 33.2, down a sixth of a foot from Saturday morning. Heavier rains to the northwest could cause the river to rise later in the week, Presley said.

Minor flooding may continue at other tributaries and smaller rivers depending on where the scattered showers fall.

An isolated storm this afternoon has the potential to become severe, and could be accompanied by small hail and gusty winds.

Storms are expected late Monday and bring the chance of isolated tornadoes, damaging wind and hail.