WEATHER SERVICE SAYS ARCTIC OUTBREAK SHORT TERM

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Last week's outbreak of cold, Arctic air may be only a bad memory as milder air returns to Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. With the warmer air, however, there is a risk of showers today through Tuesday, the National Weather service said.

The weather service said continued near-normal temperatures and precipitation are expected through mid-March.

The deep low pressure center that spawned last week's severe weather brought very cold air in its wake that dropped temperatures into the low teens and single digits early Friday and Saturday morning.

Winds gusting up to 32 mph Friday morning, created a wind chill of minus 26 degrees. Mid-America Weather Services reported peak wind gusts of 36 mph on Thursday.

The low Friday morning was 13 degrees. The afternoon high struggled to a cold 24 degrees. Saturday's low was 15. The high was 38 at 10 p.m.

Union Electric Company said the strong winds Thursday blew a limb onto a power line on North Dunklin, near the university campus. About 10 customers were without power for 1 to 2 hours, a UE spokesman said. No other problems were reported.

The intensity of the storm center was indicated by a very low barometric pressure reading prior to Wednesday's severe weather. The barometer at the airport weather station fell to 29.27 inches just before the line of thunderstorms passed over, late Wednesday afternoon.

Mid-America Station Manager Don Semancik, said it was the second lowest barometric pressure reading recorded at the airport in 15 years. The lowest was 29.21 inches on Dec. 6, 1982.

By Friday afternoon, the pressure had risen to 30.22 inches as the dome of cold, Arctic high pressure centered itself over the Upper Midwest.

The bitter, cold weather came after nearly 15 days of almost spring-like conditions during the first half of February. Dr. Al Robertson of the Earth Science Department at Southeast Missouri State University, said the average temperature for the first 15 days of the month was 42.1 degrees, up 7.5 degrees over the long-term average.

But Robertson added that during the first five days of the month, the average temperature was running as high as 15 degrees above average, and nearly 11 degrees above average for the first 10 days of the month.

The high temperature, so far this month, 64 degrees, occurred on Feb. 4. There were three other days during the period when the high temperature was 60, or above, and 10 days when the high was at 50 or above.

The weather service said the threat of showers today will continue into Monday, with a chance of rain on Tuesday. Highs during the period will range in the 50s, with lows in the 40s.