Cold rain

Lest you think that I haven't been paying attention to the weather lately, this post will be all about the fickle climate in these parts. This past winter was a rough one, with a lot of snow, thaws and flooding. Spring is here, but just barely. It's 38.1 degrees right now with light rain. We've only had a couple sunny days this spring that have drawn out a few hearty bulbs like crocuses. There has been little warmth, and the span since our last 70 degree high (since Oct. 21) is threatening to break a record.

The flooding has continued in parts of Illinois. Today there are watches and warnings from here to Ridott. Last night, seated in Row 6 of Section 531 at the Chicago White Sox-Detroit Tigers tilt, temperatures dropped to about 41. There was sporadic light rain all night, and most of the fans huddled under roofed areas of U.S. Cellular Field. The Tribune ran a piece today about the latest unpleasantness.

Aprils here usually produce 1.3 inches of snow on average, but we have yet to see any. There is a chance we'll see snow tonight with temperatures dropping further. All of this is limiting outdoor activities this weekend, but we hope to be back out looking for early spring warblers by next Saturday.