Showers and thunderstorms will bring less than half an inch of rain in most areas of the metro Wednesday, the National Weather Service predicts.

Clouds are building on Wednesday morning of our next storm system. Rain showers will move into the St. Louis area Wednesday afternoon and linger through the evening. Rain is expected to be widespread but overall rainfall totals will be light,

Rain chances rise Wednesday afternoon and become widespread late in the evening. Rainfall will be light, with totals staying until a quarter of an inch for much of the area. The highest totals will be east of Madison.

Strengthening winds and bone-dry conditions were hindering firefighters working to gain control of a stubborn wildfire burning in a forested stretch along the New York-New Jersey state border about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of New York City.

The Jennings Creek fire is currently burning across 3,500 acres, officials said, and is expected to grow to over 5,000 acres.

By Brendan O'Brien and Maria Tsvetkova (Reuters) -Rainfall did little to slow a wildfire burning on the border of New York and New Jersey on Monday, officials said, as strong winds helped the fire grow.