Weather expected to cool off by midweek

Heavy rains that moved into the Cape Girardeau area Monday afternoon were to be followed by falling temperatures and a slight possibility of snow flurries by midweek.

Meteorologist Jordan McCollum of KFVS-TV said while the chance of Southeast Missouri seeing more than a few flurries is possible, it is unlikely.

"Right now it's just a big question mark," McCollum said. "If there is moisture left around late Wednesday when the cold air moves in, we could see a few flurries. Some folks could see some flakes, but the chances are best to the north and west of here."

People wore shorts and T-shirts to the Downtown Merchants Association's Christmas Parade of Lights Sunday afternoon. But when forecasters predicted a chance of snow entering the area by midweek, they put their shorts away and headed to stores to buy clothes for cooler weather.

Beth Poole, women's apparel floor supervisor at JCPenney, said sales were on the rise in the coat department Monday afternoon.

"Sales were up earlier this month when it was cooler for a few weeks, but they had been a little less over the past week," Poole said. "Any time the weather gets cooler, people run in here and start grabbing the coats up."

Although the forecast calls for high temperatures to drop into the mid-40s over the next couple of days, they are expected to rebound, which isn't unusual for this time of year. "We're going to cool down by Thursday, but we'll be right back at or above normal by the weekend," said McCollum.

Last year the high temperature for Nov. 27 was 48 degrees, five degrees cooler than today's predicted high. The average high for Cape Girardeau on that date is 51 degrees.

The low temperature is not expected to drop as low as it did last year.

The average low for Nov. 27 is 33. Today's low is expected to be around 48. Last year it fell to 26.

McCollum said 2000 was an extremely cold year because temperatures warmed up during the day and dropped dramatically at night. This year's temperatures are closer to average.

Mike York, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., said people shouldn't be fooled by the rebounding temperatures. Cold weather will eventually arrive.

"It will turn noticeably cooler over the next few days, but it's normal for this time of year," York said. "It's always the coldest in mid-January."

Even though it has been mild over the last few days, Cape Girardeau has seen its share of cool temperatures this season.

The lowest high temperature reported in Cape Girardeau was 50 degrees on Nov. 20, and the coldest low came the next day. It was 24 degrees on the morning of Nov. 21.

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611 ext. 128