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The Ozarks received a large amount of rain Thursday night and more is expected throughout the weekend. KSMU's Michele Skalicky has more.

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Heavy rain fell in the Ozarks overnight causing flooding in Southern Missouri. Doug Cramer is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Springfield...

"The National Weather Service was tracking thunderstorms across the Missouri Ozarks through pretty much the entire night. Rainfall amounts range anywhere from a trace to six to seven inches. As a matter of fact, we've got radar estimates just to the east of Springfield, within the James River Basin, of seven and a half inches."

Cramer says there was a very slow-moving cluster of thunderstorms that moved across the city of Springfield...

"And we do know there were several water rescues--a lot of roads were flooded, and we've got some creeks and, particularly, the James River, within a matter of the last two hours, it's gone from a normal level of around five feet, and it's pushing 15 feet at the moment there in Southeast Springfield. That is two and a half feet above flood stage."

Cramer says the James is rising rapidly. He says anyone who lives in lowlands within the James River or who is camping there, needs to keep an eye on the river, particularly in Southern Greene County, Northwest Christian County and Northern Stone County.
Any anyone who is driving this morning needs to pay attention...

"And it's not just the rivers, it's the creeks and the small streams, particularly in the rural areas, on some of these county roads that aren't really built up--they're lower roads. A lot of times you have low water crossings--you know, creeks around the area are just full. The soil condition is saturated, so even a little bit of rainfall is causing these small streams and creeks to react by rising quickly."

And more rain is expected. Doug Cramer says we’ll see a little more rain today. Potentially heavy rain is possible tonight into Sunday.

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