ST. LOUIS – Hurricane Helene is expected to bring rain and strong winds to the St. Louis area on Friday and possibly affect sporting events, concerts, and travel.

Authorities at St. Louis Lambert International Airport say there’s still uncertainty of the storm and its potential impact. There haven’t been many delays or cancelations thus far, but officials say many states—including Missouri—are in the hurricane’s path.

The category 3 hurricane (at the time of this report) is barreling toward Florida’s west coast, possibly bringing along a life-threatening storm surge. The storm could also bring flooding and massive power outages to states across the southeast.


St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here

Busch Stadium will host a joint concert by music legends Billy Joel and Sting on Friday evening. It’ll be the second concert to play Busch Stadium this year. Gusty winds of 35 to 45 miles per hour are possible; remnants of Helene.

Robert Childress and his wife, Nancy, traveled from Little Rock to see the concert. They’re hoping the wind holds off and there’s no “Falling of the Rain.”

“We saw that and did not realize a hurricane could cause problems up here in St. Louis, but apparently it does. So yes, we are keeping our fingers crossed; hoping for the best,” Robert said.

“We are just happy to be in St. Louis and we hope tomorrow will be as beautiful as today, but excited for the concert and, hopefully, the weather will be okay,” Nancy said.

Helene is projected to make landfill in Florida’s Big Bend region.

Meanwhile, the number of canceled flights in and out of Florida and Georgia is climbing steadily, with more than a thousand flights already terminated.

Some St. Louis travelers say they are glad they booked earlier flights.

“I’m so happy that I missed the weather. The weather is going to do what it’s going to do and I’m going to do what I’m going to do, so I’m glad I missed that weather,” Sylvester Donald Jr. said.

St. Louis Airport officials recommend travelers arrive earlier and check wait times with their local carrier.