EYES ON SKIES AS RIVERFEST NEARS

People planning to attend Riverfest this Friday and Saturday are probably beginning to wonder about the weather.

Will it be rainy, as has been the case so much lately? Will it be cool? Or will it be hot and muggy?

David Humphrey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., said Monday that things are looking up for the entire Midwest.

The low-pressure system that has caused all the rain and cool weather is moving northwest, he said, and a high-pressure system just to the west is moving in.

"It looks like there's an end in sight to the clouds and precipitation," said Humphrey. "High pressure to the west is building into the country's midsection and should kick the low off and return us to warmer, dryer summer weather."

Humphrey said that the immediate forecast through Wednesday is for mainly dry weather, with the highs in the 80s and the lows in the 60s, normal for this time of year. However, he said, showers, especially in the afternoons, are still possible, since the area will remain under the general influence of the low-pressure system for a few more days.

By the weekend, said Humphrey, hotter, dryer weather will arrive, if the high moves in as currently projected.

The Mississippi River, Humphrey said, was at 39 feet Monday, but should begin a slow fall from that point. Flood stage is 32 feet.

The high river will have an impact on Riverfest activities. Hopes are that the American Queen riverboat will be able to dock Saturday.

Andy Juden, president of the board of commissioners of the Main Street Levee District, predicted that one of the river gates will be open.

"If the river continues to fall at the current rate," said Juden, "we anticipate we can open the Broadway gate in time for Riverfest. If the gate is open, the riverboat can dock, if they can find a 'deadman' to cable the boat to."

Mary Miller, director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that it is not certain that the American Queen can dock, but that "fingers are crossed."

"At the very first Riverfest 18 years ago, the Delta Queen stopped and added greatly to the festivities," Miller said. "We are hoping the same thing will happen this year."

The American Queen is scheduled to dock from 9-noon Saturday. Miller said that the American Queen is so large that the smokestacks have to be lowered to get under the Cape Girardeau bridge. The boat holds 436 passengers and has a crew of 180.

There will be no boarding of the boat, but people can take pictures from shore. A calliope concert can be heard as the boat departs.

Humphrey said that rains will continue to fall in the upper Ohio Valley and that will affect the Ohio River at Cairo, where the river was at 46.3 feet Monday. However, he said, the Weather Service is projecting a slow fall of the Ohio River at Cairo through Thursday.

"We'll need a prolonged dry period to get rivers to fall [back to normal levels]," Humphrey said.