Weather

From the extreme heat to spring freezes - We're learning just how devastating the cold spring weather was to our area's apple crop. Michigan's crop will be about 90% smaller than usual this year. The Michigan Apple Committee on Thursday today growers, shippers and other industry insiders predict about 3 million bushels will be harvested. In a typical year, the state produces up to 23 million bushels. The committee says it's the biggest apple crop loss since the 1940's.

Most of Michiana experienced severe weather Sunday afternoon, including high winds, hail and heavy rain. During the span of the storm, many counties were placed under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, which were quickly upgraded to Tornado Warnings. No tornadoes were reported on the ground, but a trained weather spotter reported a funnel cloud near Simonton Lake in Elkhart. Many callers to the WSBT Newsroom reported trees down and outages. Currently, AEP is reporting thousands of customers without power in Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties in Indiana and Berrien, Cass and St. Joseph Counties in Michigan.

It will be windy with increasing clouds Sunday evening, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms mainly late Sunday night. There is a slight risk of severe weather overnight. The timing of these storms, however, does make it more difficult to reach that status. Damaging winds and hail appear to be the biggest threat. Scattered showers and storms will continue Monday morning, then a chance of rain. Highs in the upper 60s, lower 70s, around midnight then falling into the 50s by Monday afternoon.

The cold weather is keeping most of us indoors unless you're in Buchanan. For the second year in a row, "Thrill on the Hill" is back! What's normally a busy road has turned into a place buzzing with excitement. "When you go down the ramp, you catch some air and it's really fun," said sledder Chloe Mittan. The Buchanan Police Department closed off East Front Street for the second annual Thrill on the Hill. There's a large ramp and a small hill with a tunnel underneath.

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It's a new month, and it's time to check on the weather as we "March" into some springlike weather! Temperatures Normal highs rise from 41° on the 1st to 53° by the 31st. Normal lows also rise, from 23° to 33°. The record high for the month is 85°, set on the 31st in 1981. The record low is -13°, set on the 8th in 1943. Precipitation There is normally 2.89" of precipitation in March. However, there has been as much as 7.96" in 1976 and as little as 0.41" in 1915.

INDIANAPOLIS — School children across the state aren't the only ones staying home today. Indiana lawmakers also have the day off. A sheet of ice covered the capital city Monday night and this morning, causing leaders in the House and Senate to decide to cancel the day's session.

ELKHART COUNTY - This warmer than normal weather means we may be seeing some bugs and insects that aren't common this time of year. Some people are saying that means we may be seeing more pests throughout the year. "We're also predicting that some of these warmer temperatures will also have repercussions as we move into the spring time," Said Missy Henriksen with the National Pest Management Association, a non-profit organization that supports the pest management industry.

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.