BRR!: HOW LOW CAN IT GO SO EARLY?

The calender read Nov. 3, but the thermometer reported that it was mid-winter.

The 10 p.m. reading Sunday at Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport was 22 degrees.

Temperatures in Missouri and much of the Midwest Sunday plunged to lows not normally seen until January. A dome of extremely cold air has pushed deep into the midsection of the nation.

The cold air was sucked in behind a deep, pre-winter storm that dumped 21 inches of snow on Minneapolis-St. Paul Friday, and left a trail of rain, freezing rain, sleet, ice and snow in its path.

Record lows were set Sunday morning in at least four dozen cities around the country. Alamosa, Colo., set a new Nov. 3 record low of minus 26 degrees. The old record was minus 8, set in 1956.

The coldest spot in the nation Sunday was La Junta, Colo., with minus 29 degrees.

Despite the frigid air here, Cape Girardeau was still the warmest spot in the state Sunday morning, the National Weather Service reported. Other morning lows included: 10 degrees at Vichy and Kirksville; 11 at Kansas City, 12 at Springfield and Columbia, 13 at Joplin, and 15 at St. Louis. Nearly all were record lows for the date.

Cape Girardeau was also the "hot" spot in the state Sunday afternoon, with a high of 33 degrees. But it was 30 degrees below the long-term average daily high of 63 degrees. The average daily low Sunday at Cape Girardeau was 39 degrees.

Afternoon highs at the other reporting stations in the state did not get out of the 20s, the weather service said. Kirksville reported 21 degrees while Kansas City warmed up to 22 degrees.

The 22 degree reading at 10 p.m. was still well above the record low for the date, 16 degrees, set in 1951. A spokesman for Mid-America Weather Services said it was possible the temperature would drop a few more degrees before midnight, which would make the official Sunday low even colder.

With a reading of 22 degrees at 10 p.m., it is almost certain a new record low will be set this morning. The current record low for today is 21 degrees, set in 1951.

The first killing freeze in this area occurred Saturday, when the overnight low fell to 28 degrees, ending the growing season.

The freeze occurred two days after the long-term average date of the first killing freeze (Oct. 31), said Al Robertson, professor of earth science and climatologist at Southeast Missouri State University.

Last fall, the first killing freeze occurred on Oct. 26. The latest it has ever occurred here was Nov. 26, 1985. The earliest was on Oct. 6, 1964.

Forecasters said some relief from the cold air will begin Tuesday, when temperatures are expected to climb into the low to mid-50s in Southeast Missouri.

The weekend cold was an abrupt change to the mild, almost late summer-like, temperatures that prevailed during much of the October in the Cape Girardeau area.

Robertson said the October average temperature was 60.9 degrees, up 1.2 degrees from the long-term average of 59.7 degrees.

Robertson said there were eight days when the afternoon high was 80 or above, including 85 degrees on Oct. 4, and 20 days when the high was at 70 or above.

The low for the month, 32 degrees, was a new record for the date, Oct. 16, and came during a mid-month cool spell.

Robertson said the average temperature during the first ten days of the month was 62.3 degrees, slightly above the long-term average of 62.2 degrees.

The mid-month cooldown was reflected by the average temperature of 55 degrees for the second ten-day period, down nearly five (4.8) degrees from the long-term average.

The average soared nearly ten (9.3) degrees above the long-term average of 55.7 degrees, to 65 degrees, during final ten-day period.

Robertson pointed out October is the ninth consecutive month this year with above average monthly temperatures. January's temperature average was slightly below average, he said.

Thanks to eight consecutive rainy days, precipitation last month totaled 5.19 inches, which was 2.05 inches above the October long-term average of 3.14 ~inches.

Of monthly total, Robertson said 4.29 inches came during the last eight days of the month, with the greatest amount, 1.07, falling on Oct. 29.

Through Oct. 31, precipitation at the airport for the year now stands at 36.25 inches, compared to the long-term average of 37.55 inches.

"Despite last month's rainfall, we're still down 1.3 inches for the year," Robertson said. "That's where we were at the end of September. We didn't gain any ground in October, and we have not caught up with the annual average."

Robertson said the sub-tropical jet stream, combined with a strong and high pressure ridge over the eastern United States, prevented any serious intrusions of cold air into Missouri during the month. The exception was the brief, mid-month cooling trend.

Toward the end of the month, Robertson said the subtropical jet allowed vast quantities of moist air from the Gulf of Mexico to flow into the area, resulting in mostly cloudy and wet weather from Oct. 24 through Nov. 2.

The National Weather Service says temperatures for the rest of November may average at or below normal in the Cape Girardeau area, while precipitation is expected to average above normal during the month.

The weather service's extended, 90-day outlook indicates temperatures and precipitation amounts in this area should average near seasonal normals in December and January 1992.