Winter storm to be followed by strong winds

A winter storm warning issued early this afternoon predicts that the Cape Girardeau area should receive about 3-1/2 to 4 inches of snow by Tuesday morning. The warning is in effect until 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The snow will be followed by strong winds that will push windchills into the teens and single digits Tuesday and Tuesday night, said David Humphrey, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Paducah, Ky.

The third accumulating snowfall in less than two weeks comes as the region is locked into a cold pattern that appears likely to stick around for another week or longer, Humphrey said.

"It is called winter," he said.

Snowfall amounts will likely range from about 2-1/2 inches near Perryville, Mo., to as much as 4 or 5 inches of snow along the Missouri-Arkansas border. The snow will be a fairly wet snow, so Humphrey said he is not expecting the blowing and drifting that was seen when Cape Girardeau received about 7 inches of snow Jan. 29.

Missouri counties included in the winter storm warning include Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Scott, Stoddard, Mississippi and New Madrid. The warning also includes Alexander County in Illinois.

For updates, check back at semissourian.com or read Tuesday's Southeast Missourian.

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, Mo.