Although spring didn't officially begin until 7:07 p.m. Tuesday, work to get the Indiana Dunes State Park in shape for warm-weather visitors has been under way for the last few weeks.

Property Manager Brandt Baughman said the numerous spring projects include a new entrance, gatehouses being built, a prairie restoration project off Trail 3 and a new handicapped-accessible boardwalk being built around a portion of Dunes Creek.

"We're just as busy as can be," Baughman said.

Weather experts seem to agree that although the next few weeks could be wet, spring 2007 should be about average in temperature and precipitation, with little chance of flooding.

The 2007 Farmers Almanac predicts several storms through the end of April. Charles Mott, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, predicted an average amount of precipitation this spring.

Area farm fields were saturated heading into spring, but farmers will be keeping a close eye on weather conditions later this month and during the summer.

"Some of our fields are wet right now. Some are flooded," said James Kingma, who farms 2,300 acres near Wheatfield.

All that could change as planting time approaches in late April, he said.

"Just because there's water out there now doesn't necessarily translate into a late planting season," Kingma said.

The good news for farmers, said Todd Hutson, a Purdue Cooperative Extension Service educator in Porter County, is that moisture now on the ground is not a limiting factor.

"The bad news is it's all over the place in the fields at this time," Hutson said.

Jody Melton, executive director of the Kankakee River Basin Commission, said the Kankakee River is high, but not in danger of flooding at this point.

"It is in good shape," Melton said. "It's not supposed to go up much."

With the snow already melted, Melton said unless there is a major rain, problems should be at a minimum.

While most parts of Porter County won't see flooding like Highland saw last fall, Porter County Emergency Management keeps close tabs on the weather this time of year, watching for the potential of flooding along the Kankakee River, its south county tributaries and other creeks.

Emergency Management Director Phil Griffith said Porter County usually sees only minor flooding, but it's not "minor" when the water is in your basement.

After experiencing severe flooding during the fall, Highland Town Manager Richard Underkofler said he doesn't anticipate similar problems this spring. The town is conducting a study to determine the capabilities of the storm and sewer systems, he said, and a project to divert water out of the Cady Marsh Ditch east toward Lake Michigan has been completed.

"Last fall, we had 8 inches of water in four hours," Underkofler said. "Statistically, that only happens once every 600 years. It's unlikely it's going to rain like that again."

Times Staff Writer Susan Erler contributed to this report.

BREAKOUT

Winter's over

Spring began at 7:07 p.m. Tuesday.

That moment -- the vernal equinox -- is when the sun and its rays cross directly over the Earth's equator heading into the Northern Hemisphere. For the next six months, days will be longer than nights. On June 21, the summer solstice marks the longest day of the year.

On Sept. 23 this year, at 4:51 a.m., the autumnal equinox will mark the sun's next alignment with the equator as it heads into the Southern Hemisphere. That will make the nights longer than the days.