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After unusually warm February, what to expect as spring approaches in March

News Channel 4 - Thu, 02/29/2024 - 04:30
Columbus and Central Ohio Weather

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Spring is only weeks away on the calendar (March 19), but we have certainly felt the change in seasons already, despite a few recent cold snaps.

This week brought a surge of warm, moist air that set records for February heat across the Midwest, where temperatures reached 90 degrees as far north as Arkansas and Missouri, 86 at St. Louis, 80 at Springfield, Illinois, and 74 at Flint, Michigan.

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The unseasonable winter warmth culminated in a rare February tornado outbreak that spawned more than 20 tornadoes from Illinois to Ohio on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday. The clash of seasons that triggered the severe weather with a potent storm system brought a nearly 60-degree drop in temperature in 24 hours in Chicago and Milwaukee.

The mercury soared to a daily-record high of 66 degrees in Columbus early Wednesday just ahead of the strong cold front. The predawn warmth on Wednesday marked the seventh time that maximum readings in Columbus topped 60 degrees, in one of the warmest Februarys on record. The mildest days brought a high of 67 degrees on Feb. 26-27.

The winter has been exceptionally mild, outside of a 10-day cold period in mid-January, and with only three respectable snowfalls: Jan. 19-20, Feb. 16 and Feb. 24. The total seasonal snowfall so far is 12.4 inches. (The normal snowfall for an entire winter is 28.2 inches).

In Columbus, December was 7.3 degrees above normal; January 2.1 degrees above normal; and February 8.5 degrees above normal. The winter as a whole edged past last winter (2022-23) to move into fifth place among the city's warmest winters since 1879 (the period of December-February is considered meteorological winter for statistical purposes).

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The Upper Midwest region is experiencing its warmest winter in history, with record low ice extent in the Great Lakes coupled with very little snowfall.

The biggest factor in the anomalous warmth this season is a strong El Niño climate pattern, which produced a persistent southern jet stream, or upper-air flow, that frequently swept mild Pacific air eastward and limited arctic intrusions due to the northward displacement of the polar jet stream.

The NOAA outlook for March indicates a continuation of the unusually mild circulation. The average precipitation is given equal chances of above and below normal (near-normal). The West and Southeastern U.S. look to be rather wet and cooler-than-normal, consistent with a southern storm track that follows the prevailing jet stream.

The middle of January brought a southward shift in the polar vortex -- the coldest air in North America at high altitudes near the North Pole.

Although there were some model signals that a warming of the stratosphere could realign the jet stream and lead to mid-March cold blast, this scenario is currently looking less likely.

However, we know from experience that the warmest winters sometimes balance out with colder-than-normal periods of spring and even a few late snowfalls, which can play havoc with early emerging crops, such as winter wheat and oats, flowers and fruit trees that leaf out several weeks ahead of schedule.

Categories: Ohio News

Family of hazing victim Stone Foltz to be awarded damages against former Bowling Green fraternity president

News Channel 4 - Thu, 02/29/2024 - 03:30

Watch a previous report of the Foltz family settling with Bowling Green in the video player above.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The former president of a fraternity where Bowling Green State University student Stone Foltz died during a hazing incident will soon learn how much money he owes Foltz’ family in damages.

Foltz’s parents are scheduled to testify to a Franklin County magistrate Thursday afternoon that 23-year-old Daylen Dunson, who was the president of Bowling Green’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter when Foltz died, should pay steep compensatory and punitive damages for his role in their son’s death. The court ruled against Dunson by default on all counts, including negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, because he never responded to the Foltz family’s wrongful death lawsuit.

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Foltz, from Delaware, Ohio, was 20 years old when, during a fraternity pledge event in March 2021, PIKE members ordered him and other prospective members to each drink a liter of liquor. Fraternity members then dropped Foltz off at his apartment, where he was found unresponsive. He died of alcohol poisoning after spending several days on life support. 

Dunson pleaded guilty in May 2022 to reckless homicide, tampering with evidence, obstructing justice and multiple counts of misdemeanor hazing, among other charges. After spending 21 days in jail, he was ordered to 28 days of house arrest and three years of probation. Five other fraternity members pleaded guilty to various charges related to Foltz’ death, while a jury convicted two others of hazing.

In 2021, Foltz’s parents, Shari and Cory, filed a wrongful death suit against the fraternity, Dunson and more than a dozen other fraternity members, several of whom faced criminal charges alongside Dunson. All other defendants, as well as the university, have settled with the family for a total of $11.4 million, according to court filings.

But Dunson never responded to the complaint, nor its three amended versions. In July 2023, Judge Julie Lynch ruled against Dunson by default.

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In court filings, the Foltz family urged the court to award them hefty damages to send a message against what they described as “archaic behavior.” In a statement, Shari and Cory Foltz said the pain caused by their son’s death was still fresh, nearly three years later.

“We urge fraternity members, students, and all individuals to take a stand against hazing. It is not a rite of passage; it is a crime,” the Foltzes said. “We will continue to fight for justice for Stone and to ensure that no other family must endure the pain and loss that we have experienced.”

Dunson is a personal trainer and bodybuilder, according to his social media accounts. He did not respond to a request for comment and blocked an NBC4 reporter on social media after being contacted for this story.

Bowling Green revoked the PIKE chapter’s student organization status in April 2021. According to Bowling Green’s hazing violations report, 21 students were academically sanctioned related to Foltz’s death, with penalties ranging from deferred suspension to expulsion.

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Three months after Foltz died, Gov. Mike DeWine signed Collin’s Law, increasing penalties and creating a felony for hazing that causes serious harm and involves drugs or alcohol. The law is named for Collin Wiant, an Ohio University student who died during a hazing incident in 2018.

Collin’s Law also requires colleges and universities to offer hazing prevention training and publicly report anti-hazing violations every fall and spring semester. 

Franklin County Magistrate Jennifer Hunt will preside over the court hearing at 1:30 p.m. A judge will need to approve her damages order before it is finalized.

Categories: Ohio News

Brisk sunshine Thursday, warming into the weekend

News Channel 4 - Thu, 02/29/2024 - 02:56
Columbus and Central Ohio Weather QUICK WEATHER FORECAST:
  • Today: Brisk sunshine, high 42
  • Tonight: Mainly clear, low 27
  • Friday: Spotty PM rain, high 50
  • Saturday: Slow clearing, high 57
  • Sunday: Mainly sunny, high 68
  • Monday: Partly cloudy, showers late, high 70
FORECAST DISCUSSION:

Happy Thursday!

After a very busy weather day yesterday in Central Ohio, things are much calmer today. Temperatures are more seasonable, topping out in the lower 40s in Columbus, under mainly sunny skies. Winds will continue to die down, so expect just a slight breeze at times.

For Friday, we kick off a warming trend. Expect highs to warm close to 50 during the afternoon. We do have a quick moving system rolling through from the SW, that will bring us a few light and spotty rain showers. Most of those arrive during the mid-late afternoon, and last through the evening.

We'll be dry by Saturday, with slowly clearing clouds. We continue to warm, however, with highs into the upper 50s.

Sunday will be BEAUTIFUL, with clear skies, and highs in the upper 60s to near 70.

Monday will likely be one of the warmest days of the year, with highs close to 70, mainly dry conditions most of the day, before more showers roll in for the middle of the workweek.

-McKenna

Categories: Ohio News

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