AFTER WEATHERING A BLUSTERY PERIOD, TEMPERATURES RISE

The combination of wind, slowly falling temperatures and a lot of moisture in the air made it seem a lot colder than it actually was in the Cape Girardeau area over most of the weekend.

Meanwhile, after a cool start today, temperatures are expected to moderate by mid-week, and the National Weather Service says Thanksgiving Day in Missouri should be a dry one, with sunny skies and more seasonable temperatures.

Saturday was on the blustery side, although it did not compare to the winter-like chill of Nov. 9-10, when the temperature dropped to 12 degrees.

At 6 a.m., Saturday, Mid-America Weather Services at the airport reported a temperature of 48 degrees. By noon, the temperature had fallen to 38 degrees, with a relative humidity of 64 percent. With a wind speed of 20 mph, that made the wind chill during the early afternoon hours about 15 degrees.

At 6 p.m., Saturday, the temperature was down to 34 degrees, with the humidity at 77 percent, but the wind had slowed to about 8 mph.

Dr. Al Robertson, professor of earth science and climatologist at Southeast Missouri State University, said it felt colder because there was a lot more moisture in the air Saturday.

Robertson said some of the moisture was caused by the gusty winds evaporating some of the six inches of rain that fell on the city last week. As the water evaporated into the air, it raised the humidity level, he said.

The weather service had forecast a chance of snow flurries in the area on Saturday. None occurred, but there were significant snow accumulations in parts of northern Missouri and Illinois.

After a low of 29 degrees, Sunday's high was 41. The humidity was lower on Sunday. At noon, it was down to 39 percent with a temperature of 33 degrees and the wind blowing at 15 mph.

The weekend cold snap followed last week's balmy, 60 degree weather that was capped by a high of 71 degrees on Nov. 19.

Highs today will be in the lower 40s, still well below seasonal normals, but they will rise to the mid 40s by Tuesday. Lows Tuesday will be in the upper 20s to low 30s.

The extended outlook calls for little or no precipitation in the state Wednesday through Friday. Lows in Southeast Missouri will be in the 30s with highs each day near seasonal levels, in the 50s. Thanksgiving Day here should be sunny and dry with afternoon highs in the mid 50s.

Last week's wet weather has caused the Mississippi River to rise sharply during the past five days. The river at Cape Girardeau rose over five feet, from 13.2 feet on Nov. 19 to 18.6 feet on Sunday.