Ice falling again in Southeast Missouri

After a mid-day respite, Cape Girardeau is getting struck by icy precipitation again that could last until after midnight.

Skies darkened and ice began steadily falling, putting on a strain on utility workers preparing for evening commuters.

Jackson Public Works started cindering roads at 5 a.m., and Cape Girardeau crews started at 4 a.m. salting and plowing roads. Electricity has not been as widely affected as by last week's ice storm; at 2:40 p.m., AmerenUE was reporting no outages in Southeast Missouri.

National Weather Service meteorologist Pat Spoden, based in Paducah, Ky., said he expects the precipitation will become rain as the temperature rises late this evening. The service's Web site lists the possibility of 0.1 to 0.3 of ice accumulation throughout the day.

At 2 p.m., the temperature was 29 degrees, with 14 mph winds from the east. A low around 32 degrees is expected tonight, with possible thunder. There is a 70 percent chance of precipitation Friday, expected to be rain, according to the Web site.

This morning the National Weather Service issued an ice storm warning for the Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois areas.