Rain threat prompts flood watch

A slow-moving storm with the potential to produce 1 to 2 inches of rain has prompted a flood watch for Boone County along with a large part of Missouri.

The National Weather Service in St. Louis issued the flood watch through Friday morning, with the heaviest rains expected to begin Thursday afternoon and continue into Thursday night.

In issuing the watch, the Weather Service noted the ground was "extremely saturated" from rains earlier this month and cautioned that additional rain will be quick to raise area creeks and streams.

"Flooding on some streams and rivers appears likely," the statement said. "Torrential downpours with thunderstorms could quickly overwhelm smaller creeks and streams in some areas" with the potential for "dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding."

Weather Service radar at 2 p.m. showed a large area of rain, some of it heavy, covering much of the western third of Missouri.