Winter

The abrupt hiring of Houston Rockets assistant general manager Sam Hinkie as 76ers president of basketball operations and general manager, coupled with the swift kick the organization gave to Tony DiLeo on Friday, shows that owner Joshua Harris is going full-bore in doing away with one culture and giving birth to another. Harris has made his billions by propping up distressed companies, restoring them to value, and, in some cases, increasing their value. But in less than one year, the 76ers regressed badly after being one victory away from the Eastern Conference finals.

Bob Sheppard of Five Ponds Country Club and Brian Kelly of Plymouth Country Club birdied the last two holes to finish in a first-place tie at 9-under-par 62 with Gene Kazan of Medford Village Country Club and Dave Quinn of Burlington Country Club in a two-player scramble in the Five Ponds Winter Golf League yesterday at Five Ponds.

For John Davis, it was a dream winter - over by Halloween. That would have been just after a freak Oct. 29 storm of heavy, wet snow collapsed tree limbs, ripped down power lines and set Davis and his public-works colleagues throughout the region to worrying: Here we go again. But after back-to-back brutal winters, neither Davis - nor his peers nor the best minds of meteorology - imagined that storm would be the very worst of the "winter" of 2011-12. "Ordinarily you spend the winter plowing or getting ready for plowing," said Davis, public-works chief in Doylestown, Bucks County, where the tight streets and well-used sidewalks make snow removal an adventure.

Question: The ducts for our central air-conditioning run through the attic and the registers are in the ceiling. It seems that cold air comes out of them in the winter. Is the chilly breeze my imagination? Answer: It most likely is not your imagination. The air inside the air-conditioning ducts in your attic gets cold and becomes dense. Since it is heavier than the air inside your room, it drops down and you feel it. This can create a substantial energy loss and make you uncomfortable.

Why has New Jersey spent more to plow snow this winter than it did two years ago, when three times as much fell on the state? The state Department of Transportation attributed the increase - $22 million as of Tuesday, compared with $21.2 million for the entire snow season two winters ago - to more statewide storms, which require its plows to be dispersed more widely. Plus, this year the Christie administration increased by 25 percent the amount it pays contractors to plow, department spokesman Joe Dee said.

Expect temperatures 6 degrees colder than last winter's, and a six-fold increase -- or more -- in snowfall. In short, if Accu-Weather's winter outlook turns out to be right, the coming season will be whole lot more like a typical winter than in 2011-12. In the forecast released this morning, an update and elaboration of an earlier outlook, the commercial weather service in State College, Pa., is calling for near-normal temperatures this winter, with above-normal snowfall. In addition, Accu-Weather believes Philadelphia will have an above-average number of days -- perhaps seven -- with snowfall of an inch or more, said long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok.

Wednesday's daylong snow and rain could be the biggest storm to hit the region this winter - which isn't saying much. Most of the region will get two to four inches of snow, with local extremes in South Jersey or Philadelphia's western suburbs of as much as eight inches, said Dave Dombek, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. "You look at this winter for Philly, for the most part, has been a dud," Dombek said, laughing. "The bar's not set very high. . . . It's like been in a snow drought this winter.

For John Davis, it was a dream winter - over by Halloween. That would have been just after a freak Oct. 29 storm of heavy, wet snow collapsed tree limbs, ripped down power lines, and set Davis and his public-works colleagues throughout the region to worrying: Here we go again. But after back-to-back brutal winters, neither Davis nor his peers or the best minds of meteorology imagined that that storm would be the worst of the "winter" of 2011-12. "Ordinarily you spend the winter plowing or getting ready for plowing," said Davis, borough manager in Doylestown, where tight streets and well-used sidewalks make snow removal an adventure.

This may be hard to believe for the less solar-conscious, but today actually is the very last day of the winter of 2011-12. Spring is just a few hours away, with the vernal equinox due at 1:14 a.m. EDT tomorrow. Arguably, it arrived about 2,000 hours ago. Today's high in Philadelphia, 76 - 22 degrees above normal and average for a May 24 - was just 2 degrees Fahrenheit shy of the record of 78 set in 1918. Records were broken in Allentown and Mount Pocono. And if you're waiting for that late March-early April wintry ambush, stop waiting.

It's not winter yet, but Zachary Bentley, 5, used a snow shovel to clear leaves in Westmont, helped by Jared Maley (left) and Rebecca Pyle.

An NBC Sports executive says advertising sales for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, are going "exceptionally well," with the company projecting $800 million in revenue. The first phase of the Olympics ad sales - to companies that will spend at least $10 million to $15 million during the Games - was completed several months ahead of schedule, executive vice president Seth Winter said this week. The first phase will account for about 75 percent of the more than $800 million expected total advertising take for the Sochi Olympics.

LOS ANGELES - Jonathan Winters, 87, the cherubic comedian whose breakneck improvisations and misfit characters inspired the likes of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, has died. The Ohio native died Thursday evening at his Montecito, Calif., home of natural causes, said Joe Petro III, a longtime family friend. Mr. Winters was a pioneer of improvisational standup comedy, with an exceptional gift for mimicry, a grab bag of eccentric personalities, and a bottomless reservoir of creative energy.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An early spring snowstorm forced the cancellation of more than 100 flights at Denver International Airport and closed several roads Saturday as it moved eastward, dumping more than a foot of snow in some places. The snow started falling around midnight in northeast Colorado and then moved into northwest Kansas and southwest Nebraska. Ten to 15 inches had fallen by Saturday afternoon north of Interstate 70 in northwest Kansas and northeast Colorado, with an additional inch or two expected in the area, said Ryan Husted, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Goodland, Kan., where 15 inches of snow had fallen.

Children can groove to the smooth sounds the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble on Saturday at Longwood Gardens' OrKid Days. The group, which has performed around the world, will hit the stage at noon and 2 p.m. In addition to enjoying the free concert, children can learn about orchids and draw their own. The day also includes a Winter Wonders Hunt throughout the conservatory.   OrKid Days Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, noon and 2 p.m. Saturday at Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Rd., Route 1 and Route 52, Kennett Square, Pa. Free with admission, which is $18; $15 seniors age 62 and older; $8 students age 5-18; and free for children age 4 and younger.

WHITMAN, Mass. - The late-winter storm that buried parts of the country was forecast to be little more than a nuisance for most of New England. Try telling that to Connecticut and Massachusetts residents who spent two days shoveling as much as 2 feet snow. "The forecast was 4 to 6 inches and I think I'm looking at about 12 to 14 inches," West Roxbury resident Mark Spillane said as snow continued to fall Friday. "I did not expect to have to bring out the snowblower. " The storm was centered far out in the Atlantic Ocean, and by the time it reached New England, forecasters were focused on the potential for coastal flooding and not snow, which in many places was predicted to reach a maximum of 6 or 8 inches.

Wednesday's daylong snow and rain could be the biggest storm to hit the region this winter - which isn't saying much. Most of the region will get two to four inches of snow, with local extremes in South Jersey or Philadelphia's western suburbs of as much as eight inches, said Dave Dombek, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. "You look at this winter for Philly, for the most part, has been a dud," Dombek said, laughing. "The bar's not set very high. . . . It's like been in a snow drought this winter.

Why has New Jersey spent more to plow snow this winter than it did two years ago, when three times as much fell on the state? The state Department of Transportation attributed the increase - $22 million as of Tuesday, compared with $21.2 million for the entire snow season two winters ago - to more statewide storms, which require its plows to be dispersed more widely. Plus, this year the Christie administration increased by 25 percent the amount it pays contractors to plow, department spokesman Joe Dee said.

What's up with the Weather Channel naming a scourge of winter after a beloved Philly icon? Yo, can you believe it? The big storm sweeping the country is named Rocky ? As in Rocky Balboa? As in the title boxer of the 1976 best-picture winner? The guy who famously ran up the Art Museum steps to a tune often played at Philly sporting events? Well, not exactly. Maybe yes. Maybe no. Even if Rocky's trainer, Mickey, did famously declare, "You're gonna eat lightnin' and you're gonna crap thunder!"

It's possible - fingers crossed - the worst is over for Philadelphia this winter. It's a swing and a miss for winter storm Rocky - as named by the Weather Channel - which is heading toward New England after dumping lots of snow across the Midwest. Although the Poconos got a bit icy and dicey this morning, Philly saw only rain. February ends Thursday, and the National Weather Service forecast for the next week shows not a sign of flurries, flakes, slush or sleet for Philadelphia.

LITTLE FERRY, N.J. - North Jersey is in the midst of an invasion from Canada. The feathered intruders - finches - ordinarily spend winter far to the north but have been arriving in waves over the last several months, giving birders a rare winter treat. Clouds of redpolls, a species of finch, have taken over a large stand of birches in Losen Slote Creek Park in Little Ferry. "The trees were just loaded with them one morning," said Don Torino, president of the Bergen County Audubon Society.