Blog
BY THE NUMBERS
By The Numbers, a look at what’s in the news . . . by the numbers. These are just numbers, not suggestions that they mean more or less than what they are. We do not suggest that one number is connected to another. These are simply facts with no extraneous details, bias or slanted reporting. To borrow (and perhaps mangle a bit) a quote from legendary fictional detective Joe Friday, it’s just the numbers, ma’am!
Spring officially sprung last week. Well, officially on Thursday morning a little after 5 a.m. Since then, the weather has felt anything like spring. Well, check that. We’ve had warm weather, tornadoes, thunderstorms, winds and even snow. Yes, it’s officially spring time in Indiana. What’s the old saying? If you don’t like the weather, stick around 10 minutes . . . it’ll change. Seems about right. In the meantime, we’re happy to take a closer look at Spring . . . by the numbers.
51.1
That’s the average temperature in Indiana in the spring. For those keeping track, that’s 10.6 degrees in Celsius.
51.6, 55.1, 42.6 & 49.7
If you look at the average temperatures in the states around us, Indiana is pretty good. We’re about the same as our neighbors to the west (Illinois is at 51.6) and a lot warmer than Michigan (42.6) and Ohio (49.7). Only Kentucky is a more comfortable 55.1.
4 or 5
If you are looking at the date to plant, there is no specific date. Farmers and those with green thumbs will tell you it’s best to wait until after the risk of frost has gone by – which is usually late in the fourth or early in the fifth month (April and May – but since this is a feature about numbers . . . )
22
With spring can come violent weather. Indiana averages 22 tornadoes a year, according to our friends at the National Weather Service Indianapolis office. Of course we’ve already had some this year. But remember, tornadoes can strike any month, so it’s always a good idea to stay vigilant and keep those weather radios or apps handy!
4-11-65
This will be the 60th anniversary of the infamous Palm Sunday Tornado. Not only did it tear through our county, but there were 47 tornadoes spawned that killed 271 people (137 in Indiana alone).
12 hours and nine minutes
The amount of daylight on the first day of spring.
15 hours and four minutes
The amount of daylight on the last day of spring
6-20-25
The first day of summer. It happens on June 20 at 10:42 p.m.
88
The number of days until summer!