As a tropical storm on Florida’s west coast has strengthened into Hurricane Helene, southwestern Missouri could also be hit as the storm moves inland.
Mark Burchfield, chief meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield, said the storm will increase the chance of rain in the Ozarks from Thursday night through Friday and possibly well into the weekend. Most of the bad weather will remain east of Springfield, and no local thunderstorms are expected.
The biggest question remains how much rain the hurricane can bring to this side of the state. Burchfield said the current chance of rain remains around 20-40% for an inch of rain, but forecasts will change and become more accurate as the hurricane moves north.
“We’re likely to see light, moderate, persistent rainfall,” he said, as opposed to heavy rainfall.
More: Helene reaches hurricane status before Florida landfall: Live updates
The hurricane is expected to bring wind gusts of 20 to 25 mph to Springfield on Friday and Saturday.
“It will be noticeable, but it probably won’t necessarily have a huge impact,” Burchfield said.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the peak surge could raise water levels as high as 15 feet above ground level in parts of Florida’s west coast and bring sustained winds of more than 39 mph to southwest Georgia by Thursday night. Helene is expected to drop 5-10 inches of rain, with isolated totals of around 15 inches across the southeastern U.S. into the southern Appalachians.
Marta Mieze writes about local government at News-Leader. Do you have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on the Springfield News-Leader: Hurricane Helene brings increased chance of rain to southwest Missouri
