The weather in a word: Unpredictable High temps draw residents outside; officials prep for rains
Winter-weary residents had an extra bounce in their step and a cheery “how ya doing?” for everyone they passed on Tuesday, when the mercury smashed the county's record high temperature of 68 set back in the late 19th century.
“Life is good,” said Butler resident Bob Skamai as he enjoyed Memorial Park's rushing brook in his shirtsleeves.
Skamai is a counselor and brought a young client out to explore the woods on Tuesday, when temperatures hovered in the mid-70s. According to the National Weather Service, Butler reached 76 degrees on Tuesday, while temperatures in Harmony hit a high of 77.
He said unexpectedly warm, sunny days during the doldrums of February have a physical effect.
“You get an endorphin release, it helps people not think about their fears and anxieties and it helps them focus on what they are thankful for,” Skamai said.
A short distance away, almost a dozen young mothers lined a playground where a number of preschoolers squealed with delight on the swings and climbing equipment.
“It gets the kids out of the house and lets them run around in the warm temperatures,” said a smiling Karen DeLorenzo of Butler Township. “It helps release some pent-up energy from being stuck inside.”
Stephanie Horstman of Butler Township held her 4-month-old daughter as her 3-year-old raced around the playground. Horstman had one suggestion for her youngsters when she saw the shocking weather forecast.
“Let's get out and play,” she said. “We try to capitalize on every nice day we can, because you never know when it's going to come again.”
Bill English of Butler strolled with his walker hound, Dixie, around the large park clad in the flannel shirt he normally wears when he walks each day, regardless of the weather.
“I'm actually too warm,” English said. “I'm overdressed.”
The PennDOT retiree walks 2 to 3 miles per day at Memorial Park, Moraine State Park or the Butler County Community College trails.
He decided to take up walking when he retired in 2013 and got a treadmill.
“That thing just bored me to death,” English said. “Getting outside is a morale booster.”
Kelly Just of Summit Township said her Jack Russell terrier, Murray, was happier to be walking in Memorial Park than she was.
“It's strange for it to be 70 in February,” Just said. “It's not good.”
Still, she had one piece of advice for those who are able to get outside and breathe the warm air on Tuesday.
“Enjoy,” she said.
David Howell III of Butler lobbed a volleyball over the net at the park's tennis courts to his girlfriend, Emilee Beck of Evans City, who is on the BC3 volleyball team.“Compared to the weather we've been having, it's so much nicer,” Howell said.Beck also enjoyed practicing her sport outdoors.“It definitely puts you in a positive mood,” she said. “I love it.”Mike Fries traveled from Plum Borough in Allegheny County to Memorial Park to engage in his hobby of metal detecting.“It gets me out and gets me in shape,” said Fries, who pursues his hobby all over the country.Since beginning with a starter detector in January 2017, Fries has found two gold rings, eight silver rings and 350 coins. Fries prefers detecting in parks.“Last month I spent $400 to go to the beach, and I found 50 cents,” he said.Fries found a small rectangular wrist watch with a red band on Tuesday, plus a few coins.“I found a dime as soon as I stepped out of the car,” he said. “This is a really nice park. I like it.”Scotty Vice, the new general manager at Lake Arthur Country Club in Franklin Township, said his pro shop received about 50 calls in one hour on Tuesday morning asking if the course would be open.“We've had a lot of rain and snow but we have good drainage, so we are good to go for walking only,” Vice said.The longtime golf course manager has his own theories regarding the unnaturally warm weather on Tuesday.“Today's my birthday,” Vice said. “That must be why.”Vice said his greenskeeper had all the greens drained and the course in good enough shape to play.“The last two winters haven't been too bad, but I don't ever recall seeing 70 degrees in February,” said Vice, who has more than 20 years experience in the golf course business.
While he enjoyed the springlike weather on Tuesday, Butler Township's superintendent of public works, Thomas Knights, was thinking ahead to the rain that is forecast through Sunday.The department's 12 full-time employees, Knights said, are constantly cleaning debris from catch basins so runoff can enter the underground storm system. But the job becomes a little more urgent when heavy rains or several days of rain are predicted.“We have upward of 700 or 800 catch basins,” he said.The workers are aware of which basins tend to become overwhelmed.“Before storms hit, we know the areas that are low-lying,” Knights said.He cautioned residents and motorists to be patient in an overwhelming rain event, as it takes time for workers to get to all the catch basins and clear them.“We assess priority in responding, so things that are an imminent threat to public infrastructure take priority,” he said. “It could take upward of three to five days to really canvas everything.”He said leaves most commonly block the grates on catch basins, followed by plastic debris like bags, milk jugs and single-serve drink bottles.Workers use everything from backhoes and excavators to shovels to clean the catch basins, Knights said.He said homeowners can help ahead of a rain event by ensuring the inlet end of their driveway pipes are free of debris.The National Weather Service website is forecasting milder temperatures, but significant rain is expected to fall from Wednesday through Sunday.Several areas of Butler County flooded last Friday after melting snow combined with heavy rain on Thursday night caused creeks and streams to overflow.
