Rally goers to face 'wind and wet' weather

Anticipated showers will make their way through Cape Girardeau late afternoon Monday but will clear before President Donald Trump's arrival later in the evening.

The weather will bring rain with a chance of thunderstorms and high winds.

With the doors to President Trump's "Make America Great Again" rally scheduled to open at 6 p.m. at the Show Me Center, meteorologist Dan Spaeth of the National Weather Service said to be prepared to deal with "wind and wet."

Spaeth said, "It's most likely going to get wet leading up to the event, and it will be trying to get breezy, as well."

Showers are anticipated to arrive in Cape Girardeau between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., and move through quickly. Winds are expected to move south to southwest at approximately 10 miles per hour, but the risk of severe winds of 60 miles per hour cannot be ruled out completely, Spaeth added.

Public-information officer Sgt. Rick Schmidt of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said the department has been watching the weather since Thursday, receiving daily updates.

"All the officers will be prepared for what comes or doesn't come," Schmidt said.

Schmidt said the weather will not change or affect any security efforts.

"We'll do it rain or shine," he said.

Southeast Missouri State University officials have stated umbrellas are prohibited by the Secret Service in the Show Me Center and they will be confiscated at the entrance of the building.

Schmidt advises attendees to plan ahead. If attendees plan to bring umbrellas, they should bring ones they can dispose of when entering the center.

Schmidt said everyone should be patient with the weather, be patient on the road and with out-of-towners and be patient with law enforcement.

NWS meteorologist Spaeth said to dress appropriately. Temperatures are expected to be in the 50s and "with the breeze and the wet, it's not going to be very comfortable," he said.

kjackson@semissourian.com

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