FIRST SNOW (SORT OF) HITS CAPE GIRARDEAU THURSDAY

Those outside between 10 and 11 a.m. Thursday may have been lucky enough to see the area's first snow fall.

But any dreams of a white Christmas dissolved with the clouds, which had cleared to allow the sun to come through and temperatures to rise into the mid 30s shortly after lunch and remain there throughout the afternoon.

Only a few flakes and no significant accumulations were reported in Southeast Missouri Thursday morning, said Kevin Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah.

There was a chance overnight Thursday of more snow flurries, which Smith says refers to snow that doesn't cause more than a trace of accumulation.

But Smith says snow lovers shouldn't get their hopes up.

"We're seeing several waves of what we call clippers," Smith said.

Clippers are fronts that bring Pacific moisture through Canada and quickly move from northwest to southeast, he said.

"They move through so fast, there's little chance of snow accumulations," he said. One moved through Thursday morning, another was expected late Thursday night or early this morning.

Today is expected to be mostly sunny with a high in the upper 30s and the Christmas Day forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a high in the mid 40s.

"Christmas Day won't be balmy, but it won't be extremely cold either," Smith said. "It looks like it will be good weather for travelers through the area. Just bundle up and go."