Those tricked into breaking out their spring wardrobes were sent shivering indoors Friday afternoon as the temperature dropped from 69 degrees to 52 degrees in three hours.

The mercury promised to fall even lower, with forecasts of freezing conditions in Southeast Missouri over the weekend.

Rick Shanklin, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Paducah, Ky., said the sudden drop after weeks of balmy highs isn't unusual for the area. Typically, the last freeze is around the end of March or beginning of April.

The reason for Friday's shiver-inducing change was a cold front that carried winds from the northwest, Shanklin said. He said an accompanying high-pressure area will cause winds to die down, making conditions even colder.

"We could have some clouds by Sunday night," he said. "It's like a blanket and provides some insulation. It might help by a couple of degrees."

The National Weather Service forecast: highs in the lower 50s today with lows in the lower 30s, highs in the upper 40s Sunday with lows in the lower 30s and a gradual warming trend into next week.

According to The Weather Channel, the average high in Cape Girardeau for March 29 is 62 degrees and the average low is 41.

Marvin Wormington Jr., owner of The Garden's Edge nursery in Kelso, said the temperature change took him by surprise while running errands Friday.

"It was like 67 degrees or something when we went into the store, and I think it had dropped a good 10 degrees by the time we came out," he said.

A pouring rain Friday afternoon ruined plans for gardening, but the weather service forecasted mostly cloudy skies today.

Wormington and other nursery owners said they planned to drag some of their stock indoors today and urged customers to protect their outdoor plants.

Joe Touchette, owner of Plants Plus in Cape Girardeau, said bedding plants and hanging baskets will be killed if this weekend's outlook holds true. The forecast also doesn't bode well for the area's blooming trees, which began exploding into breathtaking blossoms last week.

"Plants that are blooming, cover them," Touchette said. "Some type of opaque sheet or cloth is best. A lot of people use plastic, and it will insulate them, but if it touches the bloom, it will allow them to freeze. If they leave it on after sun comes up, there's a greenhouse effect, and it gets too hot."

In the plant business in Cape Girardeau since 1978, Touchette said he wasn't surprised by the sudden cold temperatures. "Some years are worse than others," he said.

hhall@semissourian.com

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