DIRTY RAIN FALLS ON CAPE

The brown-colored rain that fell locally Thursday morning was not proof that God chews tobacco, as one wag maintained, but that dust flies.

Automobiles were dotted with brown splotches Tuesday morning before heavier showers in the afternoon washed everything clean. The phenomenon was attributed to dust in the upper atmosphere.

People who are allergic to pollen were glad to see the rain, brown or not. Almost an inch of rain was recorded in Cape Girardeau Thursday.

On Wednesday the local pollen count was the highest it has been in February in the past five years.

Dr. Michael Critchlow, a Cape Girardeau allergist, said pollen counts normally are negligible this time of year. The maple pollen count jumped up earlier this month. Pollen from maple and cedar trees is abundant.

"I would attribute it to the unseasonably warm weather we have had," said Critchlow, who has seen a recent increase in calls from pollen-allergic patients.

He said Thursday's rain should rinse out the air temporarily and provide allergy sufferers with some relief. "The other side is that rain makes things grow and may eventually cause an increase in mold," he said.

Mold levels currently are at normal levels.

Al Robertson, climatologist at Southeast Missouri State University, said the phenomenon of colored rain can occur when winds loft dust into the upper atmosphere. Usually it is seen after a dry spell.

The source of the dust is unknown, Robertson said. "It could be from the high plains, the low plains, wherever."

He kiddingly blamed the brown raindrops on El Nino, but said the warm water mass in the South Pacific is affecting local weather.

With the conclusion of February just days away, the winter of 1997-98 may be one of the warmest on record locally, Robertson said.

Climatologists count winter as the three-month period from December to February. Depending on this weekend's temperatures, this winter may rate among the top five or six warmest locally, Robertson said.

The warm winter is a mixed blessing for farmers, said Gerald Bryan, agronomist with the University of Missouri Extension Service. With cattle calving, the incidence of calf mortality should be lower than normal, Bryan said.

Cattle in general should be in better shape because pastures have maintained higher quality forage and maybe more of it, he said.

On the down side, farmers are already seeing plenty of rodents. Those with no-till operations will have to make provisions for rodent control when they plant.

"Normally they're not active for at least another month," Bryan said. "They're real active, and we will probably see more showing up in yards and lawns."

The many coyotes that probably have made it through the winter are eating the voles and field mice, Bryan said.

He anticipates more insect and disease problems for plants this spring because the weather hasn't been cold enough to control them. But a late freeze is the primary danger a warm winter poses for plants.

"The worst thing that could happen is for the first of April to get a 28-degree frost," Bryan said.

Fruit trees and other shrubs that are preparing to bud would be most drastically affected. The budding stage is when the most damage can occur.

The wheat crop also could be imperiled. Wheat becomes more susceptible to freeze damage at higher temperatures if it reaches its reproductive stage sooner than it should, Bryan said.