Weather

Thursday, WSBT Chief Meteorologist Rick Mecklenburg hosted yet another live weather chat. Commenters from all around Michiana asked some great weather-related questions for the entire hour. To read the transcript, check out the link to the left.

SOUTH BEND -- Winter weather is creating quite a few challenges out there on the roads. There were no major injury accidents Friday, but there were several slide-offs and fender benders. While most argue it's a pain to deal with, others claim all of snow is a winter wonderland. “It's the slushy stuff, that’s what I’m seeing," said driver Tamera McRoberts. Jack Frost is back in the Bend. And he's making quite the comeback. “The roads are not good out there at all,” said plow driver Joe Gigliotti, “More tonight, tomorrow and Sunday.

It was another day Thursday to get an early start because of the snowy, slick roads. WSBT's Kristin Bien got a first-hand look at the latest wintry weather. The Lake Effect Snow Warning and Advisories for our area have all been canceled. WSBT meteorologist Cari Peugeot says snow amounts in Berrien County range from a few inches near U.S. 31 (the area farther away from Lake Michigan) to 6 to 12 inches in Berrien County near the Lake in areas like Benton Harbor, St. Joseph and Coloma.

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY - It's December, but it doesn't feel like it. People are using any excuse to enjoy the warm weather, and some businesses are cashing in because of it! At Bellini Landscaping off Cleveland and Fir, the smaller Christmas tree farm sold more than 200 trees this past weekend.   They said people wanted to get out and decorate their yards before the cold weather moves in.   Golf courses are also seeing a bonus with the extension of their season in to December.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana officials say the state could weather a financial hit if the U.S. defaults on its loans next week, but they aren't sure for how long and don't have a contingency plan in place. State Budget Director Adam Horst says the state is in a strong position because of a $1.2 billion surplus and money from the $3.8 billion Indiana Toll Road lease. But he says states are operating in the dark because they aren't sure what the federal government will do or what bills it will pay if a default occurs.

Road maintenance crews are working non-stop trying to fill hundreds of potholes that opened up over the last week or so. But it's been a slow process because snow keeps getting in the way. Their priority in recent days has been clearing the roads and making sure the drive is even possible, before making it comfortable. “We will get to them, it's just a matter of time,” said Alex Fisher, assistant street commissioner for the City of Mishawaka, who was able to put a pothole crew on the streets Tuesday afternoon.

Rick explains why the rain is coming from the east this week instead of the west.

Abby Weppler demonstrates one handy resource we use to predict the weather.

SOUTH BEND — It seems Mother Nature may be a golf fan. Warmer than normal temperatures have people heading to local courses. After last year's cold and rainy start to the golf season, the courses look to cash in on the early sunshine. Many courses feel a strong start could lead to a better than par 2010 season. The warmer temperatures of spring bring out a lot of things. The birds, the plants and the golfers. "We get out at the crack of the weather," says golf enthusiast Jerry Flanagan.

In case you missed their premier performance on Friday's "First Thing in the Morning" news show, watch the video of Elmo and Grover delivering our weather forecast (with a wee bit of help from Abby Weppler!) Elmo and Grover are among the Sesame Street crew performing in "Elmo's Green Thumb" at Morris Performing Arts Center, South Bend, through Sunday. Here's a link for show/ticket info: http://morriscenter.ticketforce.com/

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... PULASKI COUNTY IN NORTHWEST INDIANA... * UNTIL 630 PM CDT * AT 559 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES EAST OF FRANCESVILLE...AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. HAZARD...QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND 70 MPH WIND GUSTS. SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED. IMPACT...HAIL DAMAGE TO VEHICLES AND CROPS IS EXPECTED. EXPECT CONSIDERABLE TREE DAMAGE. WIND DAMAGE IS ALSO LIKELY TO MOBILE HOMES...ROOFS AND OUTBUILDINGS.

More showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast for today. We are in the slight risk category for severe weather . We started with storms this morning that knocked down a few large trees onto roads in Granger and Mishawaka.There are a few hundred power outages in St. Joseph County as well. Sunburst What happens if we have storms for the Sunburst races tomorrow morning? Race officials say they'll cancel the races only if lightning hits or there's damaging winds.

SOUTH BEND-- The Memorial Sunburst Races are going on as planned for now despite the possibility of severe weather this weekend.    If the weather gets bad, race staff have emergency plans in place. They will consult with police, fire and other local officials to make the best decision. "If people are out on the route, we have communication plans that we will activate, and we will send out buses on the route and bring back people to Notre Dame," said Sunburst Race Director Molly Sullivan.

EDWARDSBURG, Mich. - People braved the rain and lined the streets in Edwardsburg Monday to watch the Memorial Day parade. There were more people holding umbrellas than American flags this year, but people were still in good spirits. The parade featured a few floats, Edwardsburg fire trucks, the school band, cub scouts and plenty of candy for the kids. One group had a sign honoring service dogs that have served our country. The parade was a combined effort between the American Legion Post 365 and the VFW in Edwardsburg.

A typical sign of spring has been delayed because of our recent cool weather --- the sight of beautiful butterflies. The butterfly house at the Sarett Nature Center in northern Berrien County is quite a bit less active than normal. There were some butterflies flying around, but the cooler spring weather has slowed their cycle, so many of them haven't fully developed. With temperatures expected to be in the 70s over the next several days, that will change. “This year has been cold,” said Chuck Nelson of the Sarett Nature Center.

Weather is a BIG part of all of our lives. But do you know the difference between fact and fiction when it comes to Mother Nature? In this second installment of a series of weather stories we're doing every day this week, WSBT Meteorologist Matt Rudkin clears up some severe weather myths:       Photo courtesy: Walt Hubis@Flickr

What kind of weather will we see in the coming months? In the first of a series of weather stories that will air every night this week, WSBT Meteorologist Paul Emmick looks at some long-term trends that could impact your summer: Photo courtesy: rkramer62@Flickr

A Winter Weather Advisory in effect for parts of our area today was extended until noon but has expired. However, some of us got hit with another good dose of snow. WSBT meteorologist Cari Peugeot says so far, average snow totals are around 3-4 inches, but there have been a few spots reporting up to 5 inches. The east coast is starting to deal with the storm that dumped snow across the country over the weekend, including parts of Indiana. 5 inches of snow was reported in Knox at 7 a.m. Monday.

Part of the U.S. Bypass on the southside of South Bend had to be closed this morning. An accident near Ironwood forced both directions to be shut down for about an hour. We're told no one was hurt. At this point we don't know if this accident was weather related... But we did hear several reports that the Bypass was very slick because of the snow.

GUNS Something is not adding up.  We have all read the stories about how gun sales have soared since the massacre in Newtown and the response for sane laws afterwards.  At some guns shows people are waiting in long lines just to get in.  Yet according to data in a survey that came out last week household gun ownership has dropped to an all time low in this country, from 50 percent of all households in the 1970's to 34 percent in...