Warmer days coming; El Nino to blame for recent big weather shifts

Despite recent snowfall and temperatures in the 30s, the Cape Girardeau area is in for warmer weather by the coming weekend.

Mike York, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, said by Friday, temperatures in the area are expected to rise to the mid- to upper 60s.

"It's going to cool down again next week, but how much, we're not sure yet," he said.

Saturday and Sunday, however, also are expected to be warm before colder temperatures begin to register on the mercury.

Although York said he and his colleagues at the National Weather Service generally work with daily forecasts and look only up to seven days out, recent temperature and weather fluctuations have appeared more intense than usual.

"This part of the country does get wild temperature swings, but it does seem like it's been more wild the past month."

York attributed temperature fluctuations to El Nino weather system moving warm air up from the Gulf of Mexico and meeting arctic air masses to form well-developed storm systems.

"So it's been up and down," he said.

While temperatures have been below normal, they haven't set any records in recent days, he added.

ljones@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, MO

Paducah, KY