Static weather patterns can be good or bad. This time of year if we can get a strong ridge of high pressure over us we normally enjoy days of sunny, warm weather. Obviously that is not what is happening right now.

Here's the deal: A nearly stationary front is meandering to our south. This boundary marks the edge of two air masses. A cooler one to the north and a warm and humid one to the south. A slow moving low presssure system over Oklahoma is drivng warm, moist air from the south toward St. Louis. As this air encounters the stationary front it is driven up and over the cooler, dense air north of the front. As the air is forced to cool the moisture condenses and produces clouds and rain. Since none of these elements is moving very much the rainy pattern continues.

As a result of the continuous rain on already saturated ground a Flood Watch has been posted for much of the area until 7:00 AM Thursday and with additional rain anticipated Thursday and Friday the Watch may be extended.

Right now Steve Templeton and I think that this pattern will break by the weekend allowing temperatures to warm into the 80s by Sunday under partly cloudy skies.

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