Remnants of Cristobal move into Midwest after lashing the South

SPRINGFIELD, MO. » The remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal moved across parts of the Midwest on Tuesday after lashing the South, unleashing downpours and bringing gusty winds as more high winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms were forecast.

Heavy rain hit Missouri on Tuesday morning and Cristobal was expected to intensify later in the day as another “energetic” weather system approaches from the west and begins to interact with it, the National Weather Service said.

Cristobal may produce flash flooding and isolated river flooding, as well as few tornadoes, the weather service said.

By mid-afternoon, the wind had picked up considerably, with a gust of 62 mph recorded at Midway International Airport, on Chicago’s Southwest Side, according to the weather service. Weather service meteorologist Rafal Ogorek said that winds of 50 mph were expected from late afternoon until about midnight.

Boaters were being warned of gale-force winds on Lake Michigan on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Ogorek said as much as an inch of rain could fall on the region before the storm cleared out.

High winds could be felt from Nebraska to Wisconsin, forecasters said. In parts of Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota, the gusty winds and low humidity will bring the threat of wildfires in areas with dry grass, forecasters warned.

In Iowa, where as much

In parts of Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota, the gusty winds and low humidity will bring the threat of wildfires in areas with dry grass, forecasters warned.

as 4 inches of rain was expected and could send already-swollen creeks and tributaries out of their banks, the weather service issued a flash flood watch for most of the state.

In Nebraska, the weather service was warning residents of much of the state to prepare Tuesday and Wednesday for rough weather that could include winds exceeding 65 mph in places, as well as heavy rain, and the possibility of hail and tornadoes in the central and eastern parts of the state.

Cristobal weakened into a depression early Monday after inundating coastal Louisiana and ginning up dangerous weather along most of the U.S. Gulf Coast, sending waves crashing over Mississippi beaches, swamping parts of an Alabama island town and spawning a tornado in Florida.

GERALD HERBERT — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LUKAS FLIPPO — THE SUN HERALD VIA AP Erin Shaw, left, and Brittany Schanzbach stand near crashing waves near the seawall of Lake Pontchartrain from a storm surge in New Orleans, June 7, as Tropical Storm Cristobal approaches the Louisiana Coast. A storm surge covers U.S. 90in Long Beach, Miss., on the Mississippi Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Cristobal makes landfall June 7.