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NewsNovember 26, 1996

The Cape Girardeau area missed the first major winter storm, which brought freezing rain and sleet to much of Missouri. Nevertheless, area residents will get a preview of winter this week, and a cold Thanksgiving Day is forecast by the National Weather Service at St. Charles...

The Cape Girardeau area missed the first major winter storm, which brought freezing rain and sleet to much of Missouri.

Nevertheless, area residents will get a preview of winter this week, and a cold Thanksgiving Day is forecast by the National Weather Service at St. Charles.

November temperatures haven't been cold in the area, but they haven't been warm either. "Actually, this could be one of the fifth- or sixth-coolest Novembers in history, said Dr. Al Robertson, a climatologist at Southeast Missouri State University.

Temperatures in the area will hover in the 20s and 30s much of the week.

A winter weather advisory was posted for Monday night in nearby areas that included Farmington and Ste. Genevieve and Chester, Ill. It called for freezing rain, sleet, and snow, said Dave Bechtold, National Weather forecaster.

"Temperatures in Cape County were still around 35 to 36 degrees about 4 p.m. Monday. Those temperatures will hold until the wet stuff ends," he predicted.

"The high temperatures for Tuesday will be in the low 30s, and by Thanksgiving Day could dip to 20," said Bechtold.

Cape Girardeau Public Works Department officials were watching the weather Monday.

"We're prepared for the possibility of a winter storm," said Tim Gramling, assistant public works director. "We've checked our spreader boxes. The trucks are ready, and we have plenty of salt and sand."

Freezing rain and sleet were reported in a number of areas north and west of Cape Girardeau late Monday. Ste. Genevieve and St. Francois counties reported sleet and temperatures in the low 30s to go along with northerly winds 10 to 20 mph.

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"We're seeing decreasing cloudiness in these areas for Tuesday, with chances of precipitation at only 30 percent," said Bechtold.

The first major storm of the winter hit Missouri over the weekend, delivering freezing rain and sleet to much of the state. Ice build-ups in the Ozarks and around Springfield, Mo., snapped tree limbs and power lines.

Near-freezing rain also was a problem in St. Louis. Road crews Sunday night and Monday salted many overpasses and bridges.

In Springfield at least 100 customers were without power Sunday. Outages also were reported in Ponce de Leon, Bruner, Sparta and Highlandville.

The rain Sunday caused numerous accidents across the St. Louis area as the temperature hovered near freezing. Two fatalities were blamed on the weather.

In Webster Groves, two St. Louis brothers were killed Sunday when their eastbound car left rain-slick Interstate 44 and hit a tree. Michael Rogers, 16, and Jeffrey Rogers, 12, were on their way home from church in Kirkwood when the accident occurred.

"November has been a cool month overall," said Robertson. "It's about 5 degrees cooler than normal," he said.

In Cape Girardeau, temperatures haven't been extremely cold, said Robertson. "But with all the rainy days, the temperatures haven't really been that high."

Rain and cloudy skies were reported more than half of the days in November -- 13 of 25 -- including Monday, when 1.2 inches of rain was reported.

"This keeps the temperatures down," said Robertson. "We've had a lot of days with temperatures in the 30s and 40s, including the period surrounding Nov. 11, when a sprinkling of snow was reported in the region. Only twice during the month have temperatures soared past 50 degrees.

Fall is about two-thirds through it 90-day cycle. Winter begins Dec. 21, when the sun is at its lowest point. Meteorological winter begins Dec. 1, so winter data can be measured by meteorologists for the entire month of December instead of the final 10 days.

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