No, the thermometer is not lying.  The temperature on our back porch is 57 degrees at 0625 and rises into the 70s today.

Just four days after being under a blanket of 17 inches of snow and schools closed (again) for icy and slick conditions and thousands of homes and businesses without power, we are finally showing clear signs of the Spring that arrived last week.

Unfortunately, we still have some Appalachian Power customers without power and a number of residents lost food that spoiled and have had to seek showers and/or baths elsewhere but the numbers of the powerless are decreasing as the temperatures climb.

APCO reports 4,553 customers without power as of 7 a.m. Thursday.

Some of us now have mud to deal with but that is a minor bother after the third snowfall of the month and the fourth serious weather situation when you factor in the wind storm that brought on the last set of major power outages.

For those who actively practice religion, Good Friday’s outlook is a high of about 58 with an overnight low in the 30s (somewhere cooler) and then 56 on Saturday and 59 on Sunday —  Easter and April Fool’s Day — promises decent weather.

Each year showcases an increase of weather “extremes” that appear to be the new normal around the world.  Those who claim our weather is not changing are running out of excuses for claiming it is not.

Mother Nature is a fickle lady and, on second thought, she is often not a lady.  Maybe, her first name should be “Stormy.”  That seems to be a popular name for a woman who stays in the news.