Snow is over, but it will stick around

The ice and snow deposited by the winter-storm system that slammed into Southeast Missouri on Thursday and Friday won't leave anytime soon, a meteorologist said.

"It could be that we'll keep having below-freezing temperatures until Thursday or Friday," said Deanna Lindstrom, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

Lindstrom said that temperatures in Cape Girardeau had dipped as low as 12 degrees at 6 a.m. Saturday with an accompanying windchill of minus-3 degrees, but she discounted a 30 percent chance of light snow Saturday night.

Lexi Acevedo, left and Sydney LeGrand head back up a hill while sledding Saturday at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau. The snow left by Friday's storm should be on the ground for a while because temperatures are not forecast to be above freezing until later this week. (Adam Vogler)

"Southeast Missouri is sort of out of danger for that," she said. "It should mostly be in Western Kentucky."

The region saw weather conditions deteriorate Friday, as up to 11 inches of snow fell on top of communities trying to chisel out from under the ice and sleet that accumulated overnight.

The slow-moving storm exceeded forecasters' expectations: About 6 a.m., meteorologists had predicted about six inches of snow and sleet in the next 12 hours. But by 9:12 a.m., a trained spotter reported 7 inches of snow at Perryville Road and Stoddard Street. Just before 1 p.m., the weather service adjusted its forecast to a total daytime accumulation of up to 10 inches for the Cape Girardeau area.

Alexander County, Ill., beat that by an inch, with an emergency manager reporting 11 inches at McClure. Cairo, Ill., ended Friday with 7 inches.

In Missouri, Perryville seemed to be among the hardest-hit areas, with the weather service receiving reports of nearly 10 inches of snowfall and snowdrifts up to 16 inches by 10:35 a.m. Friday.

To the south, 10 inches of snow followed the inch of ice and sleet that had accumulated in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

The storm knocked out power to all 1,080 of Ameren Missouri's customers in Dunklin County; 1,747 of 4,859 customers in New Madrid County; and 350 of 7,545 customers in Pemiscot County.

By Saturday afternoon, power had been restored to all Dunklin County customers, while 23 customers in New Madrid County and 47 in Pemiscot County still were without power.

Ameren crews had to deal with "galloping lines" -- swaying and bouncing caused by ice and high winds that can cause repeated outages, Ameren reported in a news release Friday evening.

The snow finally stopped about 5 p.m. Friday with snowfall totals that varied around the region. Robin Smith, a National Weather Service meteorologist, reported Friday that 8 inches of snow had fallen at Marble Hill, Mo., 5 inches in Sikeston, Mo., 5 inches in Stoddard County and 10.5 inches in Carter County.

Smith said that Bootheel residents saw less snow but more sleet and freezing rain.

The National Weather Service forecasted a 30 percent chance of snow and sleet for the Cape Girardeau area on Sunday with a 30 percent chance of freezing drizzle Sunday night.

Keith Lewis and Amity Shedd contributed information for this story.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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