March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, as the traditional proverb goes. So far we’ve experienced winter, spring, summer and fall weather, all in three weeks.

According to the Farmers’ Almanac, this bit of weather folklore may be based on ancestral beliefs that weather, as with all things in life, should be balanced. And more years than not, they observed bad weather at the beginning of March (roaring like a lion), and milder weather at the end (docile like a lamb).

Or maybe it’s just a bit of poetry. After March, “April showers bring May flowers.”

April Fool’s Day is a little over a week away. The Almanac also tells us:

• If it thunders on All Fools’ Day, it brings good crops of corn and hay.

• Moist April, clear June.

• Cloudy April, dewy May.

• Snow in April is manure. That last one is based on April snow acting as a natural nutrient boost for the soil. A slow-melting snow provides moisture and nitrogen.

As we celebrate National Ag Week, it’s worth noting that farmers are the people who are most impacted by the weather. They’re hoping for “Goldilocks” weather with a “just right” amount of moisture and no late-spring freezes.

We’re always happy to get through winter and look forward to spring weather. It seems half of Barton County – including the county commission and city council – were enjoying Spring Break this past week. January and February certainly had some bitter-cold days, although overall it was a fairly mild winter. In fact, according to the Kansas state climatologist’s office at Kansas State University, this was the second-warmest winter on record for the Sunflower state.

According to K-State’s Agronomy eUpdates: “The meteorological winter of 2025-26 began on December 1, 2025, and concluded on February 28, 2026. This 90-day period was one for the record books, as it contained unseasonably warm temperatures and, for some areas, unusually dry conditions. The average temperature in Kansas was 37.9 degrees Fahrenheit, which was nearly five degrees above the 30-year average (1991-2020) of 33.0. It was the second warmest of the past 131 winters, based on data from the National Centers for Environmental Information that dates back to 1895. We didn’t miss the record by much; we finished two-tenths of one degree below the record warmest winter: 38.1 degrees set in 1991-92. Still, it was Kansas’ warmest winter in 34 years!”

We’ll continue to watch for severe weather and try to figure out how to dress appropriately for these early spring days. It seems the best plan is to dress warm in the morning and change into something lighter around noon. And keep an umbrella handy. 

Susan Thacker is the managing editor of the Great Bend Tribune. Contact were at sthacker@gbtribune.com.