The remnants of Hurricane Isaac drenched Southeast Missouri and the region from Friday through Sunday, dropping more than four inches of rain in some areas.

From Friday through Sunday, the National Weather Service measured 2.42 inches of rain at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Some of the rain came in the form of torrential downpours, as thunderstorms rumbled through the area Friday and Saturday, some touching off tornado warnings.

While the rain helped ease drought conditions somewhat, it wasn't near enough to make up the huge deficit left by a summer-long drought. Through mid-August Cape Girardeau was more than 15 inches below average in rainfall.

Twisters were reported Saturday in Butler and Dunklin counties, and the weather service received a public report of a funnel cloud sighting in Mississippi County. A trained spotter sighted a funnel cloud near Mounds, Ill., in Alexander County just before 7 p.m. Saturday.

Streets were flooded in Jackson on Saturday afternoon after Isaac's remnants dropped torrential rains, causing Hubble Creek to spill out of its banks. Winds snapped large tree limbs in several places in Cape Girardeau.

"The storm wasn't really very well-organized," said National Weather Service meteorologist Jayson Wilson. Wilson said Isaac dumped varying amounts of rain, depending on which place experienced thunderstorms caused by circulation coming off the former hurricane's feeder band clouds. In Paducah, Ky., where the regional National Weather Service office is, almost four inches of rain fell. Some places in Illinois saw more than four inches within a 24-hour period.

"While there may have been widespread rain, those who got thunderstorms got torrential rain," Wilson said.

The rain probably came too late for most crops. Some late-planted soybeans might benefit, but much of the area's corn has already been or is being harvested, according to USDA reports, and most soybeans are too far along in their growth. However, Isaac's precipitation helped pastures and fields where winter wheat will be planted, the USDA reported. According to last week's USDA crop condition report, 46 percent of Missouri soybeans were already rated very poor, while 32 percent were rated poor.

Isaac reached the area as a tropical depression starting Friday and didn't clear out until Sunday. The slow-moving storm had already caused massive flooding in parts of the South after coming ashore in Louisiana.

msanders@semissourian.com

388-3652

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, Cape Girardeau, MO