REGION PLUNGED INTO DEEP FREEZE

Strong northerly winds coupled with bitterly cold air turned the snow-covered state into a big deep freeze Friday, and little letup can be expected soon.

The National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory Friday, cautioning people against temperatures of zero or below Friday night. With gusty winds, the wind chill in the Cape Girardeau area was expected to make it feel like minus 15 to minus 30 degrees.

Snow flurries are expected over the weekend but no accumulation.

In Jefferson City, Gov. Mel Carnahan canceled Monday morning's inaugural parade and outdoor swearing-in ceremony because of the bitter cold.

"We were concerned about the weather," said Ronald Nall, director of the Cape Girardeau Central High School Marching Tigers, who were scheduled to participate in the inaugural parade.

"It was an honor to be invited to the parade," said Nall. "We were one of only seven high-school bands who were invited to participate. "And we would have been there."

The arctic air mass moved into the state Thursday night as a snowstorm exited, leaving most of the state, except the northwest corner, covered with 5 to 11 inches of snow.

Late Wednesday and Thursday, more than 6 inches of snow fell in the Cape Girardeau area and throughout the Bootheel.

Friday night's temperatures were the coldest in Cape Girardeau in almost a year. An arctic cold front that gripped the region and dumped 2 inches of snow brought near-record cold to the area Feb. 2 through 4. Temperatures fell to 8 below zero.

All schools were closed Thursday and many remained closed Friday, although schools were in session in Cape Girardeau Friday.

The frigid temperatures are expected to hold on through Monday across the area.

The temperature will range from 10 to 15 in the Cape Girardeau area today. It was 13 at noon Friday. Tonight's low is expected to be about 5, with temperatures to return to the teens Sunday.

The cold will continue through Monday, with lows in single digits and highs in the teens. A slight warming trend is expected to develop Tuesday, with lows in the teens and the high around 30.

But with the warming trend comes the possibility of more snow.

Cape Girardeau Public Works Department employees have been busy since late Wednesday.20"We were still on the roads Friday," said Tim Gramling, assistant director of public works.

Most of the main roads in the city are passable, but some streets are still ice-covered or have icy patches, said Gramling.

"The most dangerous streets are those which appear to be clear but have some icy patches," said Gramling. "Motorists are urged to use care on all streets."

The National Weather Service Friday issued a wind chill warning for much of the state, especially the northern half. Wind chills were predicted to range from 35 below to 50 below in some areas.

The arctic air mass was just like home for Les Schultz. Well, almost.

"It's nothing," said Schultz, a Canadian outdoorsman in St. Louis for the All-Canada Show at the America's Center. "This is just partly cloudy."

Schultz runs the remote Woman River Outpost near Ear Falls in northern Ontario. When his camp gets a snowfall, it's usually about 4 feet deep, and the temperature stays around 30 degrees below zero.

Also undeterred by the bitter temperatures was Harlan Wiese of Madison, Minn., vacationing in Branson.

"This is kind of Sun Valley here," Wiese said, adding that the morning he left home temperatures reached 12 below.

For resident Missourians, however, the frigid temperatures were harder to bear. In suburban Maryland Heights, Jamie Barton, 16, and his friend Kory Maceranka, 16, bundled up to travel a few blocks to get a video game from a store. They planned to play the video game indoors until nightfall, and then go sledding.

"It is cold," said Barton, "but not too cold for us." The boys, both of Maryland Heights, said they sled at night to avoid crowds.

Many schools remained closed around the state Friday, and crews worked to keep up with leftover snow and roads drifted over from the wind.

Even some schools that stayed open during Thursday's snowstorm ended up closing on Friday. In Hallsville in central Missouri, for example, classes were canceled because of drifting on roadways and extreme wind chills.

Boone County public works director Frank Abart said his crews had to revisit about 70 percent of the roads they cleared the day before.

Social-service agencies issued warnings about frostbite and hypothermia.

Mike Sanford, health director for Boone County and Columbia, said exposed skin can freeze in minutes, especially tips of noses and ears. People need to keep covered up when outside, and stay indoors when possible, he said.