SLOW WARMING TREND WILL BEGIN OVER AREA

The unseasonably cool temperatures of the past few days are expected to slowly warm through the Memorial Day weekend.

"The temperatures look like they will rebound," said David Humphrey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

Friday's high temperature of 68 was not a record low for a high, but the low of 45 degrees tied the record low for the date set in 1979. The average high temperature for May 25 in Cape Girardeau is 81 and the average low is 59.

Temperatures are expected to reach 70 to 75 today through Monday, with lows dropping to around 55. Temperatures on Tuesday are expected to rise back up to about 80 and stay that way for the rest of the week.

A possibility of showers is forecast for late on Memorial Day and continuing into Tuesday. Otherwise, the region is expected to be dry for the holiday weekend.

The cool temperatures have been caused by a large upper-level low-pressure system spinning over northern Illinois and dragging chilly northerly winds down from Canada.

"It keeps reinforcing us with cool air since it's sitting over us and not moving," said Humphrey.

Humphrey said a ridge to the region's west has been keeping any new weather systems from moving in during the past few days. "Now the ridge is breaking down," he said.

A new system is expected to begin shoving low pressure eastward on Tuesday, bringing another chance of showers.

In the past decade, the previous low temperature for May 25 was 47 degrees. The previous low for a high temperature in the past decade was 70 degrees recorded in 1992.

Friday's high of 68 was the lowest high temperature for Cape Girardeau in the past decade.