Weather

Atlantis makes some of the most feature-packed lightweight weather gear around. More protective than rain gear, the outerwear has reinforced seams and closures designed for the likes of boaters in rough seas. My favorite among a wide range of jackets is the newly redesigned Microburst jacket (in "high risk red. ") Made of a soft featherweight nylon blend, the hip-length jacket has long, spacious zippered pockets running the length of both sides of the chest, with internal netting for ventilation, as well as long "pit zips" under each arm. Elasticized cuffs have Velcro closures, and a built-in rain hood rolls and stashes behind the insulated collar.

A walk in the sun turns a bit breezy on Spring Garden Street near 2nd yesterday. This afternoon is a little milder and tonight looks clear. Weather, Page 16.

What a difference a day makes: same park, same spot. The weather Sunday afternoon was so mild that Debby and Tom Parks of Cherry Hill were horseback riding in Cooper River Park and felt "spring fever. " The night's snow brought Rick and Diane Powell to the same spot on skis yesterday.

Offering a selection of flags and other patriotic merchandise, Millie Musha waits for customers outside Bob's Christmasland in Kensington. Yesterday was perfect weather for selling wares outside. Today could be cloudy and wet, but the warmth will hang around.

The past few days of unseasonably warm and sunny weather were perfect for paddling pn the Schuylkill, but winter's back. Tomorrow's forecast calls for light snow and/or rain and a high temperature of 48.

Abraham Lincoln High ballplayers Jerry Mason and Chris Diamond get shelter from Lincoln soccer coach Rich Patton yesterday just before rain washed out the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with Lincoln leading rival Northeast 7-5. Showers were to continue today. Weather details on Page 18.

Jamie Clark, 14, of Deptford, hugs Santa Claus at Christmas in July, sponsored by the Association for Retarded Citizens on July 25 at Camp Sun N Fun in Monroe Twp.

Nobody shoveling out from under a snowdrift wants to hear it, of course. Nobody who has to bundle up against negative wind-chill factors is going to have much sympathy for the big leaguers going through their paces in ballparks ringed by palm trees. Fact is, though, that by Florida-in-March standards the spring training weather this year has been lousy. The Phillies already have had one game canceled and two others shortened by rain. Workouts have been curtailed and washed out by other downpours.

Erwin Graves addressed the ball - feet shoulder-width apart, head down, arms straight as his fingers snaked around the handle of his No. 1 wood. Then he drew back and unleashed yet another wayward slice that disappeared into the brilliance of yesterday's afternoon sun. Graves, 37, of Kensington, just started playing golf about three months ago and he has "been loving it. " He figured he would have already packed up his clubs for the winter by now. But yesterday he was one of about a half-dozen hackers taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to get in a few more practice strokes at Longknockers Driving Range in North Philadelphia.

RE BYKO'S column on weathercasts: Gosh, Stu, isn't it important that your weather doll warn you "be sure to bundle up" since temperatures will drop to 3-below with a wind chill of minus 40. Without such sage advice, you might have gone outdoors in your Speedos. New York's WCBS radio offers "pinpoint weather. " Some folks may really be interested in temperatures at 79th and Madison as well as those at 33rd and 6th. The five-day forecast is a guess. So is the seven-day forecast here in Florida.

CAMARILLO, Calif. - A major change in weather calmed a huge wildfire burning in Southern California coastal mountains Saturday, and firefighters were hopeful that a predicted chance of rain would become reality during the weekend. High winds and withering hot, dry air was replaced by the normal flow of damp air off the Pacific, significantly reducing fire activity. "The fire is really laying down," said Tom Kruschke, a Ventura County Fire Department spokesman. Containment of the 43-square-mile blaze at the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains increased to 30 percent, he said.

Good news for Phillies fans, Broad Street Run participants and spectators, gardeners, and anyone else expecting to be outdoors over the next four days: Expect pleasant temperatures, a fair share of sun, no rain and very little wind. Be glad you're not in parts of Minnesota or Wisconsin, where half a foot of snow could fall today. In Philadelphia, highs will be about 70 today through Sunday, which is about normal for this time of year. Lows will be a little on the chilly side, in the mid 40s after a low near 50 tonight.

The chill in the air at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday night was not just from the first-pitch temperature of 50 degrees that continued to drop as the 31/2-hour game wore on. Uncomfortable Fahrenheit degrees are always erased by the calendar over the course of a baseball season. When April turns to May and May to June, a more pleasant climate will follow. Curing the other ills and chills that have crept into these parts will not be nearly as easy. The offense has gone cold and the reception from the crowds has become increasingly frigid, too. A better brand of baseball than the Phillies played during the first three weeks of the season is the only way to thaw the chilly fans.

The Rutgers University basketball scandal that caused a national frenzy two weeks ago appears to be having little long-term effect on the school's reputation, a new poll finds. The vast majority of respondents agreed with the decision to fire head men's basketball coach Mike Rice, who was seen in video footage manhandling players, using antigay slurs, and throwing basketballs at or toward players. That behavior, 93 percent of respondents said, was not acceptable. However, a slight majority said the behavior exhibited by Rice is either "very" or "fairly common.

NEW YORK - Airlines are struggling this year to get planes to the gate on time. The government said Thursday that 80.3 percent of flights by U.S. carriers arrived on time in January and February. That's down from a record 84.9 percent during last year's storm-free winter. Mother Nature hasn't been as cooperative. The percent of flights canceled in February doubled to 2.4 percent from the same month in 2012. Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time rating in February, 91.8 percent.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg says he won't be going back to Washington this week when the Senate returns from a two-week recess. The New Jersey Democrat released a statement Friday saying continued treatment for muscle weakness and fatigue would keep him from traveling, the Star-Ledger of Newark reported. He said his doctor had advised him to work from home. Lautenberg, who is 89 and announced in February that he would not seek reelection, was ill with the flu in late December and missed several votes.

Nepotism was hardwired into the culture. The company was family, every wedding, birth, confirmation, and graduation a cause for shared celebration. That was Sho-Aids, in Sharon Hill, in southeastern Delaware County, where loyalty is a staple of corporate life. Andrew Codamo Sr., the chief executive officer, bought the New York trade-show service company in 1960, expanded it, and moved it to Pennsylvania. Three of his relatives work there. Then a trusted payroll clerk, Laura Rogers-Fischer, was found to have cleverly embezzled $600,000 over six years.

Compared to last year, March was much cooler and much wetter in Philadelphia. But, as Marches go, it was fairly normal. March 2012 was the freak show. Nationally, it was the hottest March on record, with "more than 7,500 record highs were broken across the U.S.," according to AccuWeather's Anthony Sagliani. In Washington, D.C., cherry blossoms will peak this week, but last year peaked by March 20, "one of the earliest dates since record keeping began," Sagliani said. In Philadelphia, March 2012 was the second hottest on record, averaging 52.2 degrees, topped only by the 52.5 degrees of March 1921, according to the National Weather Service's regional office in Mount Holly.

Check the Rally Blog on Friday for schedule changes caused by any bad weather. rallyblog

After weathering more than its share of budget storms, the National Weather Service is turning to one of the nation's premier storm experts to become its new leader. Louis W. Uccellini will become the weather service's director, effective Sunday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, its parent agency, announced Thursday. The appointment was welcomed by members of the forecasters' union, the National Weather Service Employees Organization, who have had a sometimes fractious relationship with the bosses.