Isaac promises drought relief, lousy holiday

"There's a certain point in your mind where you cross a line, 'We're stepping out of sanity here,'" Maton said. "But it's like, what the heck, it's two to three hours."

The weather put a damper on tourism. Oleg Shneper, manager of the Extended Stay America hotel near Kings Island amusement park in suburban Cincinnati, received several cancellations because of the weather.

"People have called to say they can't get here because the rain is keeping them from getting out of airports," he said.

About 120 of the 400 reservations for campsites at Patoka Lake in southern Indiana had been cancelled, said Nick Werner, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Those willing to brave the elements were urged to be careful. Officials at the Mark Twain National Forest in southern Missouri suggested staying away from river banks and other waterways prone to flash flooding. At Brown County State Park in Nashville, Ind., manager Doug Baird advised horse and bike riders to stay off muddy trails.

But Kramper, the meteorologist, said the long weekend shouldn't be a total washout. Sunny skies were expected throughout most of the Midwest on Monday.

AP reporters Chuck Bartels in Little Rock, Ark.; Chris Blank in Jefferson City, Mo.; Lisa Cornwell in Cincinnati; Tom Lobianco in Indianapolis; David Mercer in Champaign, Ill.; and Kurt Voigt in Fayetteville, Ark., contributed to this report.