Winter rains just keep on coming

SIKESTON -- Sikeston received more than 4.5 inches of rain over the weekend, with two more inches of rain expected today.

Across Missouri, the heavy rains have brought widespread flooding prompting Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to declare a state of emergency. There are at least eight fatalities attributed to the weather along with dozens of water rescues and evacuations.

Rainfall totals recorded by the Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities Power Plant 579 were 0.57 inch on Saturday, 2.1 inches for Sunday with 1.85 inches in rainfall recorded on Monday. The station totals rainfall for the 24-hour period at 7 a.m. each day.

The National Weather Service at Paducah is forecasting a 100 percent change for showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 3 p.m. today. There is a slight chance for rain from 3-5 p.m.

The NWS issued flash flood warnings Sunday for all of Southeast Missouri with the flash flood watch to remain in effect through this afternoon.

More flooding is expected while river levels continue rising around the state.

The Mississippi River is expected to rise quickly this week, cresting at 48.5 feet Saturday morning at Cape Girardeau, according to predictions from the National Weather Service.

A crest that high would be 16.5 feet over a flood stage of 32 feet and would beat the record of 48.49 feet set Aug. 8, 1993.

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