An isolated rainstorm that developed late Tuesday afternoon dumped between one-half inch and 1.5 inches of rain on parts of Cape Girardeau. The storm was unusual in that it moved in the opposite direction of most storms at this time of the year.

The downpour, accompanied by 20-22 mph winds, caused wet tree leaves to short out a Union Electric Co. pole transformer in the 1700 block of Broadway, knocking out power to several customers in the immediate area and darkening the traffic signals at nearby Broadway and Caruthers.

Police directed traffic through the intersection until UE linesmen restored power.

The storm moved in an unusual southwesterly direction, across the Mississippi River from Union County, steered by upper air currents and a low pressure trough that developed over Southern Illinois late in the afternoon.

Rainfall at the airport was officially measured at .39 of an inch, but there were reports of around half-inch totals in the downtown area and up to 1.5 inches in parts of the west end of town.

Police said they had no reports of any intersection flooding caused by the rainfall.

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