[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw6y5WlUX_8&fs=1&hl=en_US]

COOL AND RAINY: Today will be the beginning of much cooler and wetter conditions across the state. The eastern sections will be dry for a good portion of today (outside rain that fell last night) while the western counties will see some showers by the late morning hours. The entire state will see rainfall Thursday night into Friday before ending Saturday as the storm moves off to the east. This run shows a possibility once again of some rain snow mix across the northwestern counties, where 850mb temps will be below freezing which may lead to some mix in those areas. Otherwise the precipitation will mainly be rain for the duration of this storm system.

NEXT WEEK/ NEXT STORM: The week will begin again with another storm moving in, with showers and thunderstorms possible then as well. Precipitation will begin Monday and last through the afternoon hours on Wednesday before exiting. The main rain event will be Tuesday with heavy rain possible. This will only aggrevate flooding issues on area rivers that remain high or in flood.

FLOODING: River flooding continues and will be a main focus for those living along the Mississippi River over the next 2-4 weeks. With more rain in the forecasts, river crests may have to be forecasted higher than they currently are depending on how much precip falls. 2 Week Rainfall estimates in the river basin range from 3-5″, which could prolong flooding well into May. Another MS River update will be coming Thursday night or early Friday morning.