FIRST REAL CHILL OF FALL GIVES WAY TO WARMING TREND

Those who wear a sweater today because of the morning chill may find themselves sweating if they sit in a sunny spot this afternoon.

A cold snap Tuesday and Wednesday had folks bundling themselves up in jackets and protecting their plants with sheets and plastic bags. But a warming trend will send temperatures into the middle 60s today and around 70 each day Friday through Monday, said the National Weather Service at Paducah, Ky. "High temperatures will be about 10 degrees warmer than normal," Ryan Presley, a Weather Service meteorologist said of the forecast for the rest of the week.

Low temperatures, on the other hand, will be close to average for this time of year: in the low- to mid-40s, continuing a trend that makes it difficult to know how to dress.

Presley said drought conditions have caused a wider range of daily high and low temperatures this fall. "The dry conditions bring temperatures down at night, so there could be a 30- to 40-degree difference between the high and the low," he said.

This can lead to the inconvenience of having to choose whether to freeze in the morning or sweat in the afternoon when selecting clothing for the day, It won't bring on sniffles, said Charlotte Craig of the Cape Girardeau County Health Department. "It's one of the most difficult myths to dispel, but changes from cold to hot will not make you sick," she said.

Colds and flu are caused by viruses that are inhaled or ingested, she said. Viruses are often passed around more in cooler months because people are inside more.

What may have suffered from the latest cold snap are outside plants. Dortha Strack of Sunny Hill Gardens and Florist said some customers complained that their plants were nipped by the freeze Tuesday night. Other customers, whose plants were close to buildings or protected from the wind, said their plants escaped freeze damage, Strack said.

Strack said this is the time of year to bring in potted plants. She advised treating the plants with insecticides before taking them inside, and give them as much light as possible.

Don't be tempted by the fall flip-flops in temperatures to bring plants in for a few days when it's cold, then set them out again when it warms up. Once you bring in plants, leave them in until spring to avoid adjustment problems, Strack said.

For those plants that can't be brought in but still need protection, Strack advised using bed sheets or boxes for protection, not plastic bags. Plastic bags draw out moisture, which can form ice crystals that can damage plants, she said.

Looking forward to upcoming winter weather, Presley said the Climate Prediction Center in Ashville, N.C., predicts above average temperatures and above average precipitation for the area."It may be similar to last winter when we had an increase in thunderstorms," Presley said.