COLDER WEATHER AIMS FOR CAPE GIRARDEAU

A rare, late October snowstorm that dumped more than two inches of snow in Cape Girardeau County last Saturday morning was the first measurable October snowfall in the city since the mid-1920s, according to Al Robertson, climatologist and professor of earth science at Southeast Missouri State University.

More snow in the forecast again this weekend in Missouri as much colder weather is expected to return. The National Weather Service says there's a chance of snow flurries on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the weather service's 30-day and 90-day weather outlooks for Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois suggest more wet weather, and the possibility of more snow, in December and January. The weather service says near normal temperatures and above average precipitation are expected this month.

The November-January outlook indicates December and January temperatures will average near to slightly below normal, but precipitation is expected to average well above normal all three months.

Officially, the Cape Girardeau airport weather station measured 2 inches of snow. But Robertson said a lot of snow melted on the ground before it began to accumulate late Saturday night. Robertson measured 2.5 inches of snow at his residence on the north side of the city.

The storm system that gave Cape Girardeau County its first measurable snowfall in 68 years went on to dump 8-10 inches of snow over parts of the northeast and eastern United States on Sunday.

"This was the first measurable snowfall in Cape Girardeau since the mid-1920s, according to the best available records that I can come up with," said Robertson. "On Oct. 30, 1925, 2.7 inches of snow fell in Jackson. We have to assume that if Jackson got that much snow, then Cape must have gotten some measurable snow."

Robertson said recent weather records indicate that Cape Girardeau has seen snow flurries and traces of snow in October 1953 and 1954, and as late as the early 1980s, but never a measurable amount -- until last weekend.

Robertson said the outbreak of cold, arctic air that produced last weekend's snowfall, also set record low temperatures in Cape Girardeau, and made October 1993 the ninth coldest in Cape Girardeau in 47 years. Robertson said the coldest October on record here was in 1976, with a monthly average of 52.2 degrees, compared to the long-term average of 59.7 degrees. The warmest October on record at Cape was 67.2 degrees, in 1947.

The average temperature last month was 56.3 degrees, down 3.4 degrees from the 47-year long-term average of 59.7 degrees. "And all of that came during the last ten days of the month. The first 20 days of October were very pleasant," he said.

For the first ten days of October, the average temperature last month was 61.9 degrees, down three-tenths of a degree from the long-term 62.2 degrees. For the period Oct. 11-20, the actual temperature average was 60.9 degrees, up 1.1 degrees from the long-term average of 59.8 degrees. For the period Oct. 21-31, the actual average was 47.1 degrees, down 8.6 degrees from the long-term average of 55.7 degrees.

On Oct. 30, the morning low of 26 degrees broke the old record for the date of 30 degrees, set in 1988. It was also the low for the month.

On Monday, another record low was set when the temperature at the airport fell to 23 degrees, breaking the old Nov. 1 record low of 26 degrees, set in 1976.

Robertson said cooler temperatures and the arrival of the arctic air during the last five days of October made the difference. Said Robertson: "Two new record minimum highs were set on Oct. 30 and 31, which indicates how cold it was on those days." The high of 38 on Oct. 30 broke the old record minimum high of 45 degrees that was set in 1954. The following day, another new minimum high record of 43 degrees broke the old record of 47 degrees, also set in 1954.

Compared to the record-breaking month of September which had 10.23 inches of rain at the airport, October precipitation was about normal, according to Robertson. The airport measured 3.35 inches, compared to the 75-year, long-term average of 3.14 inches.

Through the end of October, precipitation at the airport now totals 44.68 inches, compared to the long-term average of 37.55 inches. "Most of that is the result of the 10-plus inches of rain that fell in September," said Robertson.

The long-term average temperature for November is 46.7 degrees. Last year's November average was 46.5 degrees. The record high for November is 82 degrees, and was set on Nov. 13, 1955, and tied on Nov. 1, 1971 and Nov. 4, 1987.

The record low for November is minus two degrees, set on Nov. 25, 1950.