February in Rockford has been one for the record books. I have enjoyed its unseasonably warm temperatures thoroughly, but I can't help but wonder, what's Spring got in store for us? 

To get my answers first I turned to the Old Farmer's Almanac. It's annual weather summary for this area from November 2016 to October 2017 says:

Winter will be warmer than normal, with above-normal precipitation. The coldest periods will be in late December and early to mid-January and from mid-January into early February. Snowfall will be above normal in New York and Illinois and below normal elsewhere, with the snowiest periods in mid-November, late December, early and late January, mid-February, and early March.

April and May will be warmer and slightly drier than normal.

Summer will be slightly cooler and rainier than normal. The hottest period will be in mid-July, with other hot periods in early July and mid- to late August.

September and October will be wetter and slightly cooler than normal.

 

Alright, so their early predictions were a little off for this Winter, so let's dive a little deeper. Here's the Old Farmer's Almanac breakdown for March 2017:

MARCH 2017: temperature 35° (3° below avg.); precipitation 2.5" (0.5" below avg.); Mar 1-3: Snow showers, cold; Mar 4-5: Sunny, mild; Mar 6-12: Heavy rain and snow, then rain and snow showers; Mar 13-14: Sunny, mild; Mar 15-21: Rain and snow showers, then sunny, cool; Mar 22-31: Snow, then snow showers, cold.

 

Hmmm. I don't really like that weather prediction, so let's check what the Farmers' Almamac has to say. (Yes, they are two separate things.) Here's their weekly breakdown for now through April 2017.

 

FEBRUARY 2017

24th-28th. Snow, perhaps mixed with a little sleet/ice.

MARCH 2017

1st-3rd. Fair skies; moderating temperatures.
4th-7th. Thunderstorms rapidly roll east through Wisconsin/Michigan area and points east followed by clearing.
8th-11th. Unsettled, especially over the Great Lakes. 12th-15th. Becoming fair/windy.
12th-15th. Becoming fair/windy.
16th-19th. Showers/heavy thunderstorms, particularly over the Great Lakes, then colder.
20th-23rd. Cold with snow flurries for the Great Lakes. Changeable skies elsewhere.
24th-27th. Showers, then clearing.
28th-31st. More stormy weather arrives by month’s end.

APRIL 2017

1st-3rd. Thundery/squally weather Great Lakes Region and Ohio Valley, then clearing.
4th-7th. Fair skies followed by unsettled weather spreading as far east as Michigan/Illinois by the 7th.
8th-11th. Showers for the Ohio Valley, then fair skies.
12th-15th. Squally, especially for the Great Lakes.
16th-19th. Fair and pleasant for Easter Sunday festivities.
20th-23rd. Showers spread in from the West, quickly followed by improving skies.
24th-27th. Stormy weather arrives by the 27th.

 

Well, at least Easter has the potential to be nice. Hopefully the Easter Bunny brings me a new pair of rain boots this year. Looks like we will need them.

 

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