Let the sun shine

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By Deirdre Cox Baker | Wednesday, March 21, 2007 11:27 AM CDT | () comments

(John Schultz/QUAD-CITY TIMES) Lawrence Luebrecht of Davenport catches a pitch from his great-granddaughter, Devin VanDerKamp, 12, also from Davenport, in one of the bullpens’ at Junge Park in Davenport, practicing for the upcoming softball season.

Even though it officially arrived just as the sun was setting Tuesday evening, the first full day of spring 2007 will dawn on the Quad-City region and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere today.

The vernal equinox arrived at 7:03 p.m. CDT Tuesday, when the weather was still cool and growing overcast after a clear, sunny day. The equinox means there will be almost exactly 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness today.

Today will feel very spring-like with a combination of rain, warmer temperatures, maybe some sunshine and even some humidity.

But that doesn’t mean the area will not have any more chilly temperatures this month and next.

“Because it’s spring, it warms up, but there’s also a lag, and the cold weather will linger well past the equinox,” said David Sheets, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

In fact, the region could well experience more winter-like storms next week and in April. Those typically are rather dramatic storms as they draw from the increased moisture that becomes available this time of year, Sheets said, adding “We can get a lot of snow in a short amount of time.”

No snow is forecast in the near future. In fact, high temperatures will be in the upper 50s to mid-60s over the next seven days, with overnight lows ranging from the upper 30s all the way to 50 degrees. There’s at least a slight chance of rain every day for the next week, and thunderstorms are likely at times, especially today, tonight and Thursday morning.

“There’s a potential for rain, thunderstorms, and we could see amounts of 1-2 inches,” Sheets said, noting that the ground is still somewhat frozen and will not take much rain, resulting in runoff.

“The rivers are already running high and streams may rise, too, from snowmelt and spring moisture,” he added.

The average soil temperature in Scott County is 40 degrees, according to horticulturist Duane Gissel at the Iowa State University-Scott County Extension office in Bettendorf. “Unless it’s saturated, we should get at least some penetration of rain into the earth,” Gissel said, noting that he hopes the moisture comes slowly and not in a downpour.

The environment does not react as much to the equinox itself as to the longer hours of daylight it portends. Buds are forming on trees such as silver maples and box elders, and birds, such as robins and cardinals, are “starting to act like spring,” said Gissel, referring to them singing as they stake out their territories and attract mates.

Gissel said patience is a virtue in the garden, but it is nearing that time of year when enthusiasts can plant early-season vegetables such as radishes, spinach and onions.

“Just keep something handy nearby where you can cover the delicate foliage if we have a cold snap,” he said. He was reminded Tuesday of a spring a couple years ago when sharp cold followed a few weeks of warm weather and hurt the growth of area trees and plants.

The vernal equinox actually reflects the 23.5-degree tilt of the earth’s axis as it revolves around the sun. During the half of the year between the spring and fall equinoxes, the Northern Hemisphere is more exposed to the sun than the Southern Hemisphere.

Local effects include upper air flows out of the South and Southwest, Sheets said, and moisture originating from the Gulf of Mexico. This is also the time of year when the sun rises as close to exactly due east as it gets, and it sets as close to due west as it can, said Lee Carkner, an astronomer and head of the John Deere Planetarium at Augustana College in Rock Island.

If our planet had a perfectly circular orbit, all days and nights would be the same, he said. “The fact that the Earth’s orbit isn’t perfect means we have seasons, times of light and dark, change and variety. This all comes from the tilt,” he said.

Deirdre Cox Baker can be contacted at (563) 383-2492 or dbaker@qctimes.com.

Full day today

The first full day of spring is today, according to meteorologist David Sheets of the National Weather Service, Davenport.

The vernal equinox officially arrived at 7:03 p.m. on Tuesday. There will be almost 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of nighttime today, one of two times that this happens each year.