A few days of above-average temperatures is likely not enough to make an impact on local crops, but the warm weather is affecting everything from pansies to parka sales.

Tuesday’s high in the Miss-Lou was 10 degrees above normal, but the average temperature for the month is just 1 degree above normal, according to Accuweather meteorologist John Feerick.

&uot;For the next couple of days, it will be above normal,&uot; he said.

Roy Vidrine, professor and resident coordinator for the LSU Ag Center, said the few days of above-average temperatures have not had much effect on sugar cane or wheat.

&uot;It’s been warm since Sunday,&uot; he said. &uot;So there’s just been a short gap.

&uot;We’ll be back to cool weather soon,&uot; he said.

As for cotton, corn and soybeans, most of those crops are out of the ground, so they have not been affected by the Indian summer weather.

The temperatures are &uot;not unusual for Louisiana or for Natchez,&uot; Vidrine said. &uot;We can have little rises or peaks in temperature.&uot;

Rhonda Smith of Fred’s Greenhouse said the warm weather is affecting fall plants such as pansies.

&uot;It’s been too hot and too wet,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s been really tough on them. Pansies like cool weather.&uot;

Smith has noticed some flowering trees so confused by the warm weather they are getting buds after losing their leaves.

&uot;They thought it was spring,&uot; she said.

But gardeners and farmers are not the only ones watching the weather.

Mary Flach, manager of McRae’s in Natchez, said sales of coats and sweaters &045; indeed, Christmas shopping in general &045; tend to be affected by the weather.

&uot;We think of cold for Christmas,&uot; Flach said. &uot;People definitely are affected by it.&uot;

&uot;A little tinge of cold&uot; over the weekend meant much larger sales in a department that hasn’t seen much attention lately, Flach said.

&uot;The next day, I was looking at sales and coats were through the roof,&uot; she said.

But there may be one benefit to the warm weather &045; lower energy bills.

&uot;The only nice thing I can say,&uot; Smith at Fred’s said, &uot;is that I haven’t had to run the gas in the greenhouses.&uot;