SUMMER NEARING RECORD; WINTER WAS WARM NOW SUMMER COOL

The winter of 1991-92 was the warmest here in 47 years. Now, it appears the summer of 1992 might go down as one of the coolest on record in Cape Girardeau.

The average temperature for the first 12 days of August was 2.5 degrees below average for the period, according to Midwest Weather Services at the Cape Girardeau airport.

During the first four days of the month, the average was as much as 5 degrees cooler than normal. But three days with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees, Aug. 8-10, raised the average.

The average temperature in July was slightly above the long-term average, thanks to a nine-day string of highs at or above 90 degrees.

Still, the mercury failed to climb to 95 degrees during July, considered to be the hottest month of the year in Cape Girardeau. There were a total of 40 days in June and July when the high temperature failed to reach 90 degrees.

The hottest day this year, 95 degrees, occurred June 17. But, four days later, a low of 54 tied the record low for the day, and the following day, the low dipped to 48 degrees, a new record for June 22.

The average temperature in June was 73.6 degrees, 2.4 degrees below normal.

In contrast to the cool summer, the January average temperature was nearly 5 degrees warmer than normal, while February's average was almost 8 degrees above normal.

The average temperature for March was 2.3 degrees above average, while April's average was slightly above normal.

The National Weather Service said the unseasonably cool weather and very low humidities will continue through the rest of the week. Temperatures are expected to cool further by the weekend.

Climatologists believe the unusual weather this year is linked to a combination of El Nino's effects in the Pacific Ocean, and the aftermath of last year's Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption in the Philippines.

The eruption blew a huge cloud of dust and debris into the earth's stratosphere, which scientists believe has caused a slight cooling in the earth's climate.

Forecasters say a change in the direction of the jet stream has allowed unseasonably cool, dry air from Canada to push into the middle Mississippi Valley, giving relief to what typically are hazy, hot and humid days of mid-August.