SPRING'S ALMOST HERE; WARMER WEATHER MUST BE NEAR

Spring officially arrives Saturday, and for those who enjoy warm weather, it can't come soon enough.

That's especially after record cold temperatures hit earlier this week, and generally colder than normal temperatures have held true during much of the month.

But don't look for any spring-like temperatures until later in the weekend or the first of next week. There's a good chance of showers today, but the first day of spring should be partly sunny, but cool. However, the showers will return Sunday and Monday, then there will be a slow warming trend, according to the National Weather Service.

The vernal equinox occurs Saturday at 8:41 a.m., local time. That's the instant the sun crosses the celestial equator an imaginary projection of the earth's equator into space on its way into the northern hemisphere. At this time of the year, and again in fall, the hours of daylight and darkness are just about equal: 12 hours. After crossing the earth's equator, the sun will continue its northward trek until June 21, the first day of summer, when it reaches its greatest northern extent.

Temperatures during the first half of March were more like mid-winter at times, says Al Robertson, professor of geosciences and climatologist at Southeast Missouri State University.

For the first 17 days of the month, the average temperature was 39.6 degrees, down nearly five degrees from the 48-year, long-term average of 44.4 degrees. Robertson said the unusually cold temperatures this month will show up as higher home heating bills.

How warm should it be this time of the year? Robertson says the average daily high temperature ranges from the low 50s in early March to 58 degrees by the middle of the month.

During the first 17 days of March, there were only eight days when the high was 50 or above. There were three days when it seemed spring might have actually arrived. On March 7-8, the afternoon highs were 61 and 62 degrees.

But cold air, sucked in behind a fast moving Alberta Clipper, sent the thermometer plunging to 18 degrees on March 13, tying the record for the date that was set in 1960. The following morning, a low of 15 degrees broke the old record of 20 degrees, set on March 14, 1969.

With spring's arrival tomorrow, many people will begin to think about planting spring gardens. Some gardeners have already sowed their lettuce patches, and it won't be long before the stores begin displaying young cabbage, tomato, pepper and onion plants.

Robertson says the average date of the last killing freeze (30 degrees or below) in Cape Girardeau is April 2. Since 1962, the last killing freeze has occurred as early as March 6, 1985, and as late as May 17, 1968. More recently, the last killing freeze occurred on April 7, 1990, March 31, 1991, and in 1992, on April 3.