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March 19, 2010

Spring has arrived ending rainy, cold winter

Sherry Koonce The Port Arthur News

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Though Saturday’s forecast may be calling for rain, after a long wet winter cloudy skies will have a hard time dampening spirits on the first day of spring. Afternoon showers and thunderstorms are likely Saturday, but by Sunday the sun will be shining once again, the National Weather Service’s Lake Charles office predicted. During a year when El Nino’s warm waters brought more rain and colder temperatures than usual, the first day of spring has been a long time coming, Joe Rua, NWS meteorologist, said. Though it doesn’t always work that way, and probably won’t Saturday because of the clouds, on first day of spring, or the Vernal Equinox, there are supposed to be exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. Still, spring is here and with it, the promise of sunshine, warmer temperatures and better moods. “Sunshine will definitely lighten moods,” Sally Walden, licensed marriage and family therapist with Spindletop MHMR, said. When people are stuck indoors they tend to feel closed in. But when the sun comes out, and the temperatures start to rise so they can get outside and be more physically active, it stimulates the brain to produce serotonin,” Walden said. Statistics prove that the colder and darker a winter season is, the more prone to depression people are, she said. The first week of spring in Southeast Texas is calling for sunny to partly cloudy skies through Tuesday with the exception of Saturday. Temperatures will be slightly below normal for this time of year, Rua said. That’s because El Nino is still an active weather pattern. In this part of the country, El Nino’s effect is lessened in the spring. The NWS predicted El Nino would have little effect on Southeast Texas weather. Temperatures and the amount of precipitation will be close to normal, or slightly below, Rua said. Micah Myer, Jefferson County Agriculture Agent and Horticulturist, said wet soil from the fall and winter rains is already starting to dry. “The rain did not affect the area as much as people thought it was going to,” he said. “Hopefully, it will be a good year for gardening, and the rains we’ve had should help.” skoonce@panews.com

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