Courtesy National Weather Service, Pleasant Hill, Mo.
The “mighty Mississippi” and the “mighty Missouri” are both on the rise.
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A flood warning is now in effect for the entire length of the Missouri River in the Show-Me State, from north of the Iowa border all the way to where it flows into the Mississippi River north of St. Louis. Flood warnings are also in effect for several tributaries of the Missouri.
The Mississippi River is under a flood warning as well, from Cape Girardeau northward into Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Heavy rains have been pushing through portions of Missouri most of the week. Workers in northeastern Missouri’s Hannibal have install five flood walls and the town of Clarksville downriver has been building a barrier the past few days to keep the Mississippi from flooding downtown.
Minor flooding on the Mississippi is forecast for Cape Girardeau. KFVS-TV reports that the river is expected to crest at 35.5 feet on July 10th, which is not high enough for the city to close its floodgate.
All that extra moisture will likely make it feel especially hot in parts of the state. An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect Thursday for the Bootheel counties of Dunklin and Pemiscot. North of the Bootheel, a large stretch of southern Missouri is under a Heat Advisory. Heat indices could reach between 105 and 110 degrees in the advisory area and climb higher than 110 degrees in the Bootheel.
State lawmakers face a daunting task to blunt the effects of looming federal cuts that threaten to erode health care affordability and access in the years ahead, especially after they failed to address some of the most pressing issues during Mississippi’s 2026 legislative session, experts warn.
For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.
Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”
One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.
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As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
