How you can deal with swings in temperature

Yes, it's painfully cold now, but take heart: Spring is just around the corner.

Really.

If the forecast is to be believed, spring returns Sunday when temperatures will hit the high 40s.

Of course, in the Midwest, we won't get off that easily. Rest assured they'll be snowstorms and bone-chilling weather to follow the phony thaw this weekend.

Which begs the question -- is this sudden twist of nature a positive or a negative?

Here's what the experts have to say.

Health: Temperature swings from lows to highs aren't a problem, Northwest Community Hospital physician Arvind Goyal explained.

Instead, it's the excesses that will get you -- whether in the form of frostbite from overexposure or respiratory problems. So, when the big freeze returns, remember to dress warmly, wear layers when outside and take it easy when shoveling snow.

"People become complacent and used to 50 degrees. A day later when it drops 30 degrees, there are all kinds of problems," said Goyal, the Arlington Heights hospital's chief of family medicine.

Commuting: The worst-case scenario for roads "is a freeze-thaw cycle," Schaumburg Director of Engineering and Public Works Steve Weinstock said.

Water in cracks in roads and sidewalks expands about 10 percent when it freezes. Repeat that process several times and it's a recipe for potholes. That's why public works crews hope for consistency from the weather.

"If it gets cold and stays cold, that's fine," Weinstock said.

Gardens: A few warm days won't cause your lilacs to start sprouting buds only to be smacked in the face by winter's return, the Morton Arboretum's Doris Taylor advised.

"Things that are dormant take more than one or two days to deacclimatize," added Taylor, plant information specialist at the Lisle area institution.

Prolonged springlike conditions could mean trouble, but that's more of a February phenomenon.

Right now, "people shouldn't panic," she said.

Leisure: The folks at the Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove live for cold. Mild weather they're not so crazy about.

"As far as making snow goes, the colder the better," club spokesman Charlie Sedivec said.

With the club's ski jump tournament set for Jan. 26 and 27, they've got their eyes on the thermometer.

"We're watching and seeing what the best window of opportunity is," Sedivic explained.

Art: A cold weather pro, snow sculptor Fran Volz of Arlington Heights knows from painful experience what a thaw can do.

"When it gets into the 40s, if you've got details, it gets lost," he said.

Volz finds 30 degrees, which is forecast for Friday, the optimum temperature for that most basic of snow art -- the snowman.

His professional advice? Start small and keep rolling until you have the traditional small, medium and large snowballs. A mixture of snow and water can help cement your creation.

"You want it to stick like mortar," Volz said.