REGION GETS FIRST TASTE OF WINTER WITH SNOWFALL

Al Robertson wasn't thrilled when he noticed the tiny white flakes drifting down from a slate-gray sky Saturday afternoon.

Quite a few people in Southeast Missouri may have shared that feeling as the region got its first snowfall of the season.

"Usually we don't get any snowfall until the first part of December," Robertson, a climatologist at Southeast Missouri State University, said.

For those who dread the arrival of winter, there was a bright side: the snow may have fallen, but wasn't sticking around long.

"It's all melting," Robertson said. "Thank goodness. I'm a Southern California boy. I don't like this stuff."

Snowfall this time of year is unusual, but not unheard of.

The earliest snowfall was recorded Oct. 29, 1993, when one-tenth of an inch fell.

Only two-tenths of an inch fell Saturday. The ground temperature was too warm for it to stick, said Pat Spoden of the National Weather Service.

Snow was reported from Fredericktown to Cape Girardeau. Many areas didn't experience any snowfall, although Graves County, north of Mayfield, reported 1.5 inches of snow.

A system from Southwest Missouri brought the snow this way. No additional snow is expected, Spoden said.

For now, at least.

"It's fun too watch, but it's awful if you have to get out in it," Robertson said.