CAN THIS BE SPRING? MORE COLD AIR, RAIN HIT REGION

Winter weather greeted Missourians Friday on what officially was the first day of spring.

A seemingly confused Mother Nature dumped snow on parts of the state. Rain soaked an already soggy Southeast Missouri, and the region saw snow flurries.

As of 4 p.m. Friday, Cape Girardeau had received nearly a half-inch of rain. That came on top of more than an inch of rain that fell on the area Thursday, the National Weather Service said.

The Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau reached flood stage for the first time since June. Flood stage is 32 feet on the river gauge.

The Main Street Levee District closed the Themis Street floodgate Friday afternoon in anticipation that the river would rise to 35 feet on the gauge by Sunday.

The Broadway floodgate, which is at a slightly higher elevation along the riverfront, remained open.

"We would close the Broadway gate if we get a prediction of more than 38.5 feet," said Andy Juden, president of the levee district commission.

The National Weather Service predicts that the river will crest at Cape Girardeau at 37 feet on Wednesday.

Without the floodwall, downtown Cape Girardeau would be swamped. At 37 feet on the gauge, water would be 18 inches deep in Hutson Furniture Co. on Main Street, Juden said.

City officials say floodwaters should pose few problems for Cape Girardeau residents this time.

Since the 1993 flood, the city has moved people out of flood-prone areas. Ninety-six homes have been razed. Another 27 homes are expected to be razed by the end of May, bringing the total to 123.

Ken Eftink coordinates the flood buyout program for the city. He said the city has obtained more than $2.5 million in grants to remove homes from flood-prone areas along the river.

The city has spent another $2 million raising the elevation of South Sprigg Street and making improvements to the city's sewer and water plants. The result has been a reduced flood problem in the city, Eftink said.

At 40 feet on the gauge, floodwaters would reach only one home. At 48.5 feet, 21 homes would be affected, he said.

Eftink said the river would have to reach about 40 feet on the gauge before Cape Girardeau would see any significant flooding.

Rain and some melting snow in the upper Midwest are causing rivers to rise, said forecaster Jim Keysor of the National Weather Service office in Paducah, Ky.

"There has been a decent amount of rain to the north, not a lot of snow melt," Keysor said. "That is why we are not seeing anything like the kind of flooding we have seen in past years," he said.

The wet weather was expected to move out of the area by today. "We should be going into an extended dry period over the next several days," he said. The area should see plenty of sunshine over the weekend, Keysor said.

Temperatures were forecast to range from lows in the upper 20s to highs of 45 to 50 through Tuesday.

Such temperatures are unseasonably cool for this time of year, Keysor said. The average high in late March is about 60 degrees.

Still, Keysor said cool temperatures aren't uncommon in March. But area residents are noticing it more because of the milder temperatures experienced earlier this month, he said.

Area creeks were full. Low-lying fields were flooded by the swollen Diversion Channel, Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan said. The high water on the Mississippi has caused water to back up in the Diversion Channel.

There were isolated reports of flooding Thursday night along roads in the Neelys Landing area to the north and in the Arbor area in the south end of the county, Jordan said. But the water quickly receded, he said.