Temperatures spike into 70s Saturday; forecasters surprised

Spring may have sprung, but only for a day.

Fueled by southwest winds, temperatures soared into the mid-70s in the Cape Girardeau area and even into the 80s farther south on Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

But the high temperatures were little more than a tease in front of a slowly advancing cold front from the northwest, forecasters said.

The cold front was expected to push through Saturday night, resulting in high temperatures reaching only the low- to mid-40s today, said meteorologist Jim Packett with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

"Tomorrow will be the wake-up call," he said Saturday. "It is going to stay cool for a few days."

Saturday's initial forecasts were for highs in the mid-50s. But temperatures ended up some 20 degrees higher than expected.

Packett said the cold front moved slower than expected and downward warm winds on a sunny day sent temperatures climbing.

Forecasters had predicted warmer temperatures, but nothing like Saturday's summer-like weather.

"That's incredible," Packett said as he looked at a computer monitor registering a temperature of 81 degrees in Poplar Bluff by midafternoon Saturday.

Packett said weather forecasting isn't an exact science, despite all the data available.

"Nothing we had to look at even had a hint that it was going to warm up that much," he said.