Last modified: Friday, April 20, 2007 1:55 AM EDT The sun finally made an appearance Thursday, giving Chris Michaud, 17, left, and friend Derek Redding, 18, a chance to play Frisbee with Mark Maynard, 16, all of Attleboro, at Willet School in Attleboro. (Staff photo by MARK STOCKWELL) April is the coolest BY STEPHEN PETERSON SUN CHRONICLE STAFF Someone apparently forgot to tell Mother Nature the seasons changed. A month into spring - this weekend aside - it has felt like winter in these parts, with frost on windshields some early mornings and people still sporting winter coats. And occasionally even a sure sign of spring, April showers, have had a tendency to be frozen to some degree. The entire cold, damp and windy month, daily temperatures have been well below average, with the month headed toward one of the coldest Aprils on record. The weather has put a damper on spring planting and outdoor athletic activities. "Our season hasn't started yet," said Gary Briggs, manager of Briggs Nursery on Route 152 in North Attleboro. "People aren't out gardening or doing anything. The rain, people physically can't be out there; and the cold, no one feels like going out. "April is always a volatile month, but this year winter seems to be hanging on longer," Briggs said. "We are always optimistic for an early spring, but it didn't happen." Outdoor sports hasn't been any fun either. "It has just backed us up," King Philip Athletic Director Chad Kelley said. "Baseball was probably the biggest sport affected. The last few days have just been a wash, except for boys lacrosse." Lacrosse can be played in rain, while baseball is restricted by wet weather, Kelley said. Fortunately, King Philip Regional High School has a field house, and baseball practice has been held indoors, he added. Rain more than cold effected spring sports, Kelley said. Winter had been fairly mild until the end, when temperatures plunged into more seasonal weather in February and March that lasted into the first part of April. Daily high temperatures in April normally run in the mid- to upper-50s, but they have been in the 40s many days. A few daily lows have been in the 20s for a month that has an average daily low near 40. An inch of snow fell a few days into spring, on March 25. Meteorologists attribute the colder than seasonal weather to a jet stream pushing south that has allowed cold air from Canada to pour down to the region. This whole past week has been a washout, starting with heavy winds and rain from Sunday and Monday's nor'easter that dumped nearly 3 inches, swamping basements and flooding streets and sparking power outages. However, spring-like weather was forecast not only for today but the weekend. Just in time for that spring planting and tossing the baseball or Frisbee around. STEPHEN PETERSON can be reached at 508-236-0377 or at speterson@thesunchronicle.com.