In like a lion, out like a lamb?

First Posted:

WILKES-BARRE — As spring arrived Thursday afternoon, WNEP-TV meteorologist Tom Clark had bad news for area residents expecting a corresponding warm-up.

The region’s abnormally cold weather might not be going anywhere anytime soon. Clark said 30-day and 90-day forecasts show below average temperatures for the month of April.

He said the forecasts show temperatures climbing closer to the normal ranges in May and June. Though spring is notorious for severe weather, Clark said the cooler temperatures could mean a slow start for the severe weather season.

With today being the first full day of spring, Clark also took time to look back at a winter that featured above-average snowfall and below-average temperatures. He said there has been a total of 55.9 inches of snow in Wilkes-Barre, which is about 15.4 inches above the normal amount.

And Clark could not rule out another snowstorm, especially because temperatures are expected to drop once again next week.

The snow was often accompanied by biting cold temperatures that forced schools and businesses to close. Clark said there were no days in December that dropped below zero, but there were five days in January and two in February that saw subzero temperatures.

Temperatures dropped to 0 degrees on March 4, but Clark said they did not go below that mark.

He added there have been three days in the month of March in the last 100 years with subzero temperatures. This month, he said, temperatures are about 5.9 degrees below average.

“It was snowier than normal and it was colder than normal, so it was kind of a harsh winter,” Clark said.

Bill Dizbon, 70, of Shickshinny, said he didn’t mind snow, but he did not like how cold it got.

“I haven’t seen it this cold in years,” he said.

The winter’s plummeting temperatures had the opposite effect on Dizbon’s heat bill. He uses coal and some electric heat, and he estimated that his heating bill went up about 35 percent.

Kathy Merrick, 54, of Williamstown, N.J., noted that the Wyoming Valley got more snow than her neck of the woods. Merrick and her sister, who lives in Larksville, had to help take care of their father, George Farris. Farris, 96, is a resident of the Mercy Center Nursing Unit in Dallas.

Fortunately, Merrick said her father was inside as Old Man Winter wreaked havoc on those who dared to venture outside.

“It was very comfortable,” Farris joked about the winter. Merrick laughed and told her father that it was cold, and he replied “not inside.”

Plans are already being made by Dizbon and Merrick for when the weather warms. Dizbon is looking forward to working on his lawn when the weather finally warms up. He is also an avid walker.

“I’m looking forward to getting outside,” Dizbon said.

Merrick’s plans include some traditional warm-weather activities, too.

“Our plans are to spend some time on our front porch enjoying some sunshine and getting to the beach,” Merrick said. “We’re going to spend the time enjoying it, not doing any spring cleaning.”