A winter storm moving out of the Southern Plains could be in Southeast Missouri by midmorning today with a mix of rain, sleet and snow, with forecasters expecting up to 8 inches of snow by the end of the storm Friday.

A winter storm watch was in effect for most of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois through tonight. Officials at several area school districts were monitoring weather forecasts, anticipating the potential to close schools early today if the storm arrives as expected.

"If we think it is going get steadily worse as the day goes on, we want to get the children home safely," said Jim Welker, assistant superintendent of the Jackson School District. "We try if we at all can not to dismiss early."

The heaviest band of snow is expected to be from just west and north of Cape Girardeau County extending into Southern Illinois, said Rachel Trevino, a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Paducah, Ky. When the afternoon forecast was issued Wednesday, the expected arrival of the storm had been moved up by several hours, from early afternoon to midmorning.

"Snow is so difficult to forecast," she said. "From Cape Girardeau, to the southeast and eastward, it should be more of a mix with rain early. The best areas for snow are the western edge of our forecast area, through Carter, Wayne, Bollinger and Perry County."

The snow shouldn't linger on the ground, Trevino said.Forecasts for the weekend show temperatures climbing into the 40s by Saturday with a chance of thunderstorms and highs reached 60 on Monday.

But for schoolchildren and their parents, the timing of the storm could be important. If the storm continues to pick up speed, decisions could come early in the day to release students. But that decision will be based mainly on how fast roads are deteriorating and the likelihood that conditions will not improve if classes stay in session, said Pat Fanger, interim superintendent of the Cape Girardeau School District.

If forecast is for conditions to worsen, "as soon as we know that, we will call off school," Fanger said.

In Cape Girardeau, high school starts and ends before the elementary schools. The same pattern will be followed in a decision to close, Fanger said. That will help some parents with younger students by getting the older children home first, she said.

For the Oak Ridge School District, one of the key factors in deciding whether to end early will be reports from district officials to the west and north, superintendent Dr. Gerald Landewee said.

"Several years ago when schools were in session, a quick snow shower blew threw and the roads were fine at dismissal time," he said. "That is why we work with network of people, to see how it is accumulating."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126