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   Flooding continues to be a problem in the St. Louis metro area as rain-swollen creeks remain out of their banks.  

   Now the National Weather Service is warning that the Mighty Mississippi will likely over-spill it's banks in the next few days.  A flood warning has been issued for communities along the river from Canton, Missouri -- north of Hannibal, to Chester, Illinois.  That warning includes the riverfront in St. Louis.  

   Officials say the Mississippi will rise above flood stage by Friday evening.  It's expected to crest at around 39.4 feet by Tuesday morning.  

The National Weather Service has lifted a tornado watch for St. Charles County, St. Louis County and St. Louis City.

Variable clouds and becoming windy with rain and a few thunderstorms - possibly severe this afternoon. Storms may produce large hail and strong winds. High 67F. SSW winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Additional rainfall may reach one inch.

Tonight:

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low 36F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph

   With another line of potentially severe weather expected to push through the metro-area Thursday, Ameren has place crews on both sides of the river on stand-by.  Ameren officials say they've mobilized personnel and equipment to facilitate their response to any storm-related power outages.  

   But Ameren officials say there are some things customers who lose power during the storms need to do.  First, officials say, report the outage.  Don't assume the power company knows your lights are out.

   Second, they remind customers to stay away from downed power lines and always assume that any lines that have fallen are still live wires.  Report the downed lines immediately.

   They say to stay out of the way of power company crews who are working to repair lines and restore power.

   And finally, they ask customers to be patient.  Crews will get repairs made as quickly as they can do so safely.

   More tips can be found at Ameren's online Outage Center.