Cool, rainy weather has dominated Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois for the past week or so.
Cape Girardeau set a record for the lowest high temperature on Sunday at 79 degrees. Cape Girardeau also set a record for and the lowest low temperatures on Sunday with temperatures hit 53 degrees. Temperatures have been consistently below average for the past several days.
Chris Noles is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah. He said the cool, wet conditions stand in contrast to last year’s drought.
“Definitely quite a contrast from what we were experiencing last year,” Noles said. “When you look at some of the highs we were dealing with in July last year versus this year in some cases you’re looking at a 20 to a- on the extreme side- 25 degree difference.”
Noles said spring and summer precipitation have been been at above average throughout the region.
The cool weather is the result a jet stream track that is further south than normal. It is originating out of Canada and runs across the northern plains, Midwest, and Ohio and Mississippi valleys.
“So with it being shifted farther to the south, that allows storm systems to move through the area,” Noles said. “Occasionally we’ll get a weak cold front move through and reinforce our at or below normal temperatures and then cause the probability of precipitation and clouds to be higher.”
Noles said temperatures will nudge upwards over the next few days, but will still be below average. Rain will remain in the forecast.
