Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
EDWARDSVILLE - Springtime weather in the Metro East area – to put it mildly – can be often called one thing:
Predictably unpredictable.
The transition from cold winter weather to warmer spring weather often produces quite a bit of instability – temperatures can be below freezing in the morning and can rise to the low 70s or even warmer at times.
Showers and thunderstorms can pop up at the most inopportune of times or rain can last for several days.
Area high schools, in the last week-and-a-half or so, have not only seen just how unstable weather can be this time of the year, it's caused them to shuffle spring sporting schedules as constant cold rains (and, in one case, even snow and sleet) have kept their teams – baseball, softball, tennis, track, for instance – from getting outside for games or even practice sessions.
First-year Edwardsville High athletic director Alex Fox is feeling the frustrations of seeing games and events having to be called because of the near-constant rain and cold of recent weeks. “It' frustrating at different levels,” Fox said. “It's frustrating for the kids and the coaches; they all want to get out and practice or play; for administrators, it's hard to keep things organized. We're fortunate that the Southwestern Conference has dates set aside to make up games that get canceled, but we've lost too many days overall.”
There are some observers who think this spring's constant rainouts and postponements in various sports is one of the worst they've seen in many years. “I'm not sure where this spring ranks,” said Jeff Alderman, Alton's athletic director. “It's caused a lot of headaches, to be sure, but we've kept the focus and try to plan out things as best as we can.”
Keeping in contact with other area athletic directors as far as postponements and scheduling shuffling is much easier today than it was some 20-30 years ago thanks to emails, text messaging and wireless communications. “It certainly makes staying in touch a lot easier,” Fox said about the constant communication with fellow ADs.
“We were burning up the phone lines back in the day when that was the only way to stay in contact,” Alderman said. “Things are much easier now to stay in contact with everyone else.”
One thing everyone is looking forward to is a break in the weather that will allow games to be played and made up. As of Wednesday morning, the area's 15-day forecast from The Weather Channel is looking at chilly temperatures through the weekend, with sunshine Thursday but possible rain and snow showers Friday with lows in the mid-20s before Saturday clearing and more rain and snow Sunday. Next week's forecast includes mostly partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid-50s, with rain in the forecast on April 12 and thundershowers in the evening April 13. Temperatures will be climbing into the mid-60s by next weekend, with rain the forecast every day April 14-18.
Those with postponement or reschedule information may contact Content Director Dan Brannan at danbrannan@riverbender.com or Chief Sportswriter Brent Feeney at BrentFeen16@yahoo.com.
