COLD TURNS THOUGHTS TO SHOPPING

Winter's cold blast gives local retailers a warm feeling.

"We love it," said Harry Rediger, manager of the JCPenney store in Cape Girardeau.

"Cold weather in the fall and early in the holiday season kind of puts people in the mood for the holiday season," he said.

It also boosts sales of cold-weather merchandise such as hats, coats and gloves.

Winter clothes have been on the racks for months, but consumers give it little notice until struck by winter's first blast, Rediger said.

"This cold weather, a little below normal weather, has really helped. It has really been a boon to us," Rediger said.

Cape Girardeau public works officials aren't nearly as excited about the cold weather and the possibility of winter storms.

Forecasters say there is a 50 percent chance of rain or freezing rain today.

The city's public works department made preparations Wednesday for the possibility of a winter storm.

"We are getting a couple of our dump trucks ready, making sure the spreader boxes work," said Tim Gramling, assistant public works director.

City crews might have to spread a mixture of salt and sand on bridges and steep roadways, he said.

If temperatures are below 20 degrees, calcium chloride is added to the mixture.

In 1995-96, the city used 900 tons of salt, 2,600 tons of sand and 4,500 gallons of calcium chloride.

Gramling said the city fits plows on its dump trucks when it needs to clear the streets of snow.

Most of the city trucks currently are being used to haul away leaves piled along the curbs. That work is expected to continue into December.

Gramling said that while the city is prepared for a winter storm, officials don't expect it to be a major one.

Temperatures have been about 10 to 15 degrees below normal. Typically, temperatures this time of year range from lows in the mid-30s to highs of around 58 to 60, said Dr. Al Robertson, a climatologist at Southeast Missouri State University.

For the first 11 days of November, the region has seen temperatures 6 degrees below normal, with a daily average of 45 degrees, Robertson said.

Monday's high at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport was 39 degrees. Tuesday's temperatures hovered in the 30s.

Unusually strong high pressure has moved out of Canada. It has parked itself over the Mississippi River valley, said Dan Ferry, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in St. Charles.

But both Ferry and Robertson said warmer and more seasonable temperatures are expected by the weekend.