SUN SHOULD MAKE DEBUT ON WEEKEND

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Get out your sunglasses. The National Weather Service says the sun will be out this weekend, ending nearly four weeks of dreary, wet weather in the Cape Girardeau area.

There's more good news. Forecasters say temperatures here, which have been mostly well below long-term daily averages since Christmas, will be climbing back to more seasonable levels next week. That should melt any remaining snow and ice on the ground.

Forecaster Ron Haug, with the National Weather Service, said the rain should end late tonight, with some clearing on Saturday. Highs tomorrow will be in the 30s, warming to the mid-40s by early next week.

Haug said the best chance of extended sunshine will come Sunday, with highs in the 40s.

But clouds and rain are expected to return to the area late Monday, continuing through Tuesday, forecasters say. Highs, however, are expected to remain in the 40s.

"It appears we are entering a period of mild, seasonable temperatures," he said.

For those now suffering from "cabin fever," the weekend should provide some temporary relief from nearly 30 days of icy, wet, and cloudy weather.

According to weather records at the Cape Girardeau airport, the area has not seen clear skies during daylight hours since Dec. 25.

Some sunshine peeked through the clouds on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but Don Semancik, Mid-America Weather Services station manager, said they were the only exceptions to an otherwise cloudy and wet 30-day period.

"Of the 31 days in December, 21 of them were cloudy with little, if any sunshine," said Semancik. "Most of the sunshine came during the first half of the month, while we were enjoying those above normal temperatures in the 60s."

Semancik said that during the period Dec. 12 to Jan. 9, there were only two days of clear skies.

Average daily temperatures for the first nine days of this month have generally been well below normal, Semancik said, ranging up to 11 to 12 degrees below the average.

"We finally went (3 degrees) above the daily average on Thursday," he added.

The 30-day outlook for January calls for seasonable temperatures, but wetter than normal weather.