Cool days, and cold bats

It may have nothing to do with the Phillies' feeble offense, but this certainly hasn't been hitting weather around here.

During the weekend, not only was it quite chilly, but the air became desert-level dry, literally -- at 5 p.m. yesterday, the relative humidity dropped to an astonishingly low 13 percent -- thus the air had little buoyancy.

The barometric readings -- which captured the weight of the air -- were quite high, and that's a fancy way of saying the air was heavier than usual.

This also has been quite a cool spell, and once again the afternoon high isn't going to make it to the daily normal, which is 69.

This will mark the ninth consecutive day of below-normal temperatures officially in Philadelphia, and we're not used to this.

The last time we had a streak this long was from March 23 through April 3 of last year.

Despite the chill, however, April is going to finish slighly below normal, just under 2 degrees.

And for the fourth consecutive month, precipitation will have come in well below normal. Last weekend's soaking helped, but throughout the region, precpitation since Jan. 1 is running 60 percent or less of normal.

Showers are possible on May Day, as it warms up, but don't expect much; maybe a tenth of an inch.

On the plus side, the blossoms have appreciated the chill in what has been a magnificent spring aesthetically.

And it will get warmer, that's a certainty, but it's unclear if it will make any difference to the local baseball team.