APRIL 1993 FIFTH COOLEST LOCALLY IN LAST 46 YEARS; IMPACT OF WET MONTH FELT BY BUSINESSES

April goes into the record books as the fifth coolest April in 46 years in Cape Girardeau.

Although it was the first full month of spring, weather conditions during most of April seemed more like those of late winter.

For businesses that depend on sunny, warm weather for sales, April was a disastrous month. And so far, May is starting out where April left off: During the first three days of May, 3.02 inches of rain has been measured at Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport.

Because of the cool weather and wet ground, very few home gardens have been planted, and not much yard work has been done.20That means stores that are well stocked with lawn and garden supplies, lawn mowers, plants and seeds have yet to see any substantial movement of those products this spring.

Terry Ervin, garden center manager at the Cape Girardeau K-mart store, has been ready for his spring lawn and garden customers since early April, but few have come in to shop.

Said Ervin: "It's been very slow this spring. Normally, our sales of spring lawn and garden supplies and garden plants and seed begins in late March or early April, depending on how soon it warms up. It hasn't warmed up or stopped raining long enough to do any kind of outdoor work.

"Most of our customers are pretty upset with the weather. I had a couple of them tell me they may go ahead and plant in the rain if they have too. It's been very frustrating to us and to our customers."

Paul Schnare, who owns Sunny Hill Gardens on North Kingshighway, put it this way: "When its raining people do not come into the store. As soon as the rain stops, they start walking through the door. Business has really slowed down in April. This past weekend was a washout."

Schnare said his sales of lawn and garden supplies and plants and seeds begins "when the weather turns warm and the sun shines." There has been little of either during the past 40 days.

Jack Smart, director of Mid-America Teen Challenge, said the wet weather has delayed the start of their spring and summer contract mowing service for area businesses and homes. "It's terrible. We've been rained out anywhere from 35 to 45 percent of our workdays in April because of the wet weather," said Smart.

According to Al Robertson, climatologist and professor of geo-sciences at Southeast Missouri State University, the average temperature for April was 54.3 degrees, down 4 degrees from the long-term April average of 58.3 degrees. Robertson said that's a significant drop for a 30-day period.

"It was the coolest April here in 46 years," he said. "The coolest April here was 51.7 degrees in 1983; the warmest April was 63.9 degrees in 1981."

The cloudy, cool, damp weather in April has delayed warming of the soil, preventing the planting of warm-season crops such as carrots, turnips, egg plant, watermelon and cantaloupe.

Charles Korns, professor of horticulture at Southeast Missouri State University, said soil temperatures by now should be around 65-70 degrees. But Gerald Bryan, agronomist with the University of Missouri Extension Center at Jackson, said the soil temperature now is in the mid-to-high 50s. He said that's still too cold for most home garden plants and seeds.

Korns said several days of sunny weather and moderate wind would help dry the saturated soil and raise the soil temperature. "If we get several days of sunshine this week, I think a lot of gardens will be ready to plant by this weekend," he said. "But that's only if the sun comes out and stays out the rest of the week."

Korns said the cool, damp weather is also creating problems for budding rose bushes. He suggests those who have roses inspect them carefully for signs of leaf disease caused by the damp, humid weather conditions. "If there is any sign of fungus on the leaves, it's time to apply a fungicide," he said.

The National Weather Service predicted at least one more day of good weather before more showers and thunderstorms return on Thursday and Friday. Joe Pedigo, forecaster with the weather service office at St. Charles, said temperatures will also be on the rise through the rest of the week. Highs today are expected to reach the upper 70s and low 80s.

The forecast for Thursday through Tuesday calls for showers and thunderstorms to develop by the end of the week. Above normal temperatures and above normal precipitation are forecast through the middle of next week.

Pedigo said the 30-day outlook for Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois calls for near normal temperatures and above normal rain.

The 90-day outlook for May through July indicates a repeat of last summer's mild weather. The three-month forecast says rain will average near to slightly above normal with below normal temperatures during the period.

"We're starting to see a possible shift develop in the upper atmospheric conditions," Pedigo said.