Good afternoon everyone! This will be a quick update regarding rain risks over the southern portions of the state through tonight. Steadier rain activity has pushed south and eastward with time today with most rains suppressed south of the I-44 corridor as of 4:45pm CDT. This will be the trend through the remainder of the evening into tonight as higher pressure works in from the northwest.
Simulated radar through 6am CDT Saturday: Rains will continue to work southeastward through the evening hours with the majority of the rains impacting locations south of the I-44 corridor at this point in time. By the time midnight rolls around, most of the steadiest rains will have exited the state to the south with the Boot Heel the last remaining portion of the state affected by the steadier, moderate rains. Given some low-level moisture hanging around the southern half of the state tonight, patchy drizzle will likely linger. All areas of rain will be suppressed to the south by 3am CDT.
Total rainfall through tonight: The best focus for rains at this point will be in the southern 3 rows of counties where a general 0.1-0.5″ of additional rains are expected. Pockets of over half an inch are possible, especially in the Boot Heel.
Skies will gradually clear tonight north to south as high pressure from the northwest pushes into the region. Cloud cover will still exist over the southern two-thirds of the state by midnight, but once the sun rises, most areas will be waking up to clear skies (excluding far southern MO and pending fog risks discussed below).
With the rains today across the state and higher pressure building in, areas of patchy fog are likely to develop late tonight into Saturday morning within the circled region below. Locations south of the I-44 corridor are unlikely to see fog as some lingering cloud cover will likely inhibit fog formation. After the sun rises and surface temperatures increase, an areas of fog present in the region should burn off by late morning.
Winds will increase progressing through Saturday morning with gusts as high as 40 mph at times in the northern and eastern portions of the state. The upper-level low causing these winds will gradually lift eastward Saturday, resulting in winds weakening during the evening hours. If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out! Have a great evening!