ST. LOUIS (KMOX/AP) - Severe storms that could produce hail and damaging winds are expected in the St. Louis area, Wednesday afternoon and into the evening.
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for numerous counties across Missouri and Illinois until 10 p.m. tonight.
As communities continue to fight floodwater from area rivers, thunderstorms will become likely by 2 p.m. through 10 p.m. tonight. Some storms may be severe, capable of large hail and damaging winds, especially for areas near and north of Interstate 70 during the late afternoon and evening hours.
Related: Flooded St. Louis area communities seek volunteers for sandbagging
Thunderstorms are in the forecast each day through Monday. Major river flooding will continue along parts of the Missouri, Mississippi, Illinois, and Osage Rivers.
Ten to 20 sandbaggers are needed urgently in Lemay, near the Heine Meine Baseball Fields. This is an area that's trying to fight off the Gravois Creek and River Des Peres which continue to rise.
St. Charles County Executive has declared a state of emergency as a result of ongoing serious flooding which started back on April 29th.
Illinois state climate experts say Illinois had the third wettest May on record and it was the sixth-consecutive month with above-average rainfall.
The Illinois State Climatologist Office says preliminary average statewide precipitation during May was 8.4 inches (21.3 centimeters), 3.8 inches (9.7 centimeters) above the long-term average. The office says nearly the entire state had above-average precipitation for the month. A gauge in Dallas City along the Mississippi River in western Illinois registered the highest precipitation total for May at 14.75 inches (37.5 centimeters).
An area that stretches from Quincy and the Quad Cities east to Peoria had the most precipitation in the state, with seven rain gauges having 13 inches (33 centimeters) or more of rainfall during May.
Chicago had its wettest May on record at 8.25 inches (20.1 centimeters) of precipitation. That beats the previous record of 8.21 inches (20.9 centimeters) last May.
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