`WARMER' WEATHER ON THE WAY

The frigid weather that set consecutive record-low temperatures in Cape Girardeau Tuesday and Wednesday is moving eastward, allowing a warmup to begin. Forecasters said that by Saturday and Sunday highs could reach into the 40s and mid-50s.

Many schools remained closed on Tuesday and Wednesday as wind chills remained well below zero. Icy roads prevented most rural school districts from reopening.

Both the Jackson and Oak Ridge school districts will remain closed today and possibly Friday. However, Cape Girardeau public schools will reopen today on a two-hour delayed start. There will be no morning kindergarten classes.

A record low of minus 11 degrees at Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport occurred at 2 a.m. Wednesday. It's the coldest temperature reading at the airport since December 1989. It also broke the record for the date, minus 8, set in 1984.

The record low for Tuesday, minus 10, occurred at 11 p.m., just three hours before Wednesday's record low was set, said a spokesman for Mid-Missouri Weather Observation Station at the airport. The previous record low for Jan. 18, minus 1, was set in 1977.

By 3 a.m. Wednesday, the temperature had risen to minus 7 degrees. At 8 a.m. Wednesday the temperature was zero. By 11 a.m. Wednesday it had reached 6, and at 4 p.m. it was up to 12.

In addition to closing most area schools and canceling a large number of activities, the cold has brought on a large demand for natural gas.

Union Electric Co. spokesman A.D. Cox said gas consumption in the Cape Girardeau-Scott City area from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday was 28,000 million cubic feet.

Cox said the demand was so high that UE was forced to interrupt natural gas service on Tuesday to its large industrial customers, including Biokyowa, Foamex, Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center.

Cox explained that when gas service to interruptible customers is cut off to reduce demand for extra gas from its wholesale supplier, Texas Eastern Transmission Corp., the interruptible customers use backup supplies of propane gas.

Cox said UE also opened its peak shaving plant at Hickory and Beaudean Lane on Tuesday. It's the first time the plant has been in operation since December 1989. The plant blends stored liquid propane gas with natural gas and distributes the mixture to commercial and residential customers.

Cox said by blending propane with natural gas the demand for natural gas from Texas Eastern does not exceed the contract price UE has with Texas Eastern. He said any additional demand for natural gas over the amount in the contract costs more, and that cost would be passed on to customers.

Due to warming temperatures the plant did not operate on Wednesday, UE officials said.

Temperatures were forecast to climb into the 30s today. That's good news to state highway and municipal street crews who have been trying to clear snow and ice from roadways since the storm hit Sunday night.

In Kentucky, ice-covered interstates and parkways remained closed Tuesday night and early Wednesday to all but emergency vehicles carrying essential food, fuel and medical supplies.

In Poplar Bluff, firefighters turned out in sub-zero temperatures Tuesday night to fight a fire that claimed the life of an 87-year-old woman. They had to struggle with frozen ladders, frozen nozzles and frozen turnout gear.