LIGHT RAIN WASN'T NEARLY ENOUGH TO HELP PULL AREA OUT OF DROUGHT

Just a quarter-inch of rain fell in Cape Girardeau Friday morning, but being about 6 inches behind in rainfall this year, people are willing to take what they can get."It's a start," said Terry Birk, county director for the Cape Girardeau County Farm Service Agency. "It will help a little bit."Significantly more rain could be on the way, according to Jim Keysor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky."It looks like around Wednesday we'll have the best chance we've seen in awhile for precipitation that will be more than the tenth- or quarter-inch rains we've had recently," he said.

This could mean at least one-half inch of rain to the area and perhaps several days of rain, Keysor said.

It will take that and more to break the drought the area has endured since July. Keysor said the area is 6 inches behind normal in rainfall.

The 90-day outlook calls for above-normal rainfall."It may be we are starting to exit from the dry pattern and maybe getting into a more typical winter pattern," Keysor said.

That's something farmers could benefit from, Birk said. He said Friday's rain might help the winter wheat crop a little, but what's needed is a good, soaking rain.

Dave Hitt, director of Cape Girardeau County Emergency Management, said Friday's rain isn't enough to justify lifting area burn bans. "There just hasn't been enough rain to make a difference," he said.

Tom Hinkebein, fire marshal for Cape Girardeau, and Jay Cassout, fire chief in Scott City, both said there hasn't been enough rain to call off the burning ban in effect in both cities.

As for temperatures, colder weather should accompany next week's rain, Keysor said. Today through early next week, high temperatures are expected to be in the low 60s, which is about normal, he said. But beginning Wednesday and by Thanksgiving highs should be in the upper 40s with lows dipping into the 20s.