WET ROADS SEND CARS SKIDDING

Cape Girardeau patrolman Carl Eakins directed traffic around the scene of an accident on I-55 north near the diversion channel.

About an inch of snow fell in the Cape Girardeau area Saturday, and it was enough to cause several traffic accidents, one of which sent five people to the hospital and caused a two-mile backup of traffic.

Around 12:30, the Scott City Police Department responded to an accident on Interstate 55 just south of Nash Road near the Diversion Channel. Police said a vehicle left the roadway and went into a ditch. Five people were transported to Southeast Missouri Hospital, where they were treated and released.

Police said the accident backed up traffic for about two miles south of Nash Road before the accident was cleared.

Cape Girardeau police responded to 10 accidents between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday when most of the day's snow fell. No injuries were reported with those accidents, police said.

Saturday's forecast had called for minor accumulations of snow, said Doug Boyette, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky. And the area got about an inch of snow.

"But it may still have surprised the many people who didn't believe us," said Boyette. He said the disbelief came from the springlike weather the area enjoyed last week, with sunny days and temperatures in the mid- to upper 70s.

The snow ended around 4 p.m. Saturday, but icy conditions were possible Saturday night when temperatures were expected to dip into 20s.

The weather service is predicting sunny skies for today, but don't expect a return of springlike weather for at least a week, Boyette said.

"We'll be in a more seasonable weather pattern for the next seven to 10 days, with a chance of rain every few days and highs in the 50s and 60s and lows in the 30s," Boyette said.