Five Things to Know Today, April 3

Welcome to the second day of Spring Break!  

The weather: Today will be a little cooler than yesterday, with a high near 83.  There is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. A calm wind will keep the day comfortable, so take those kids on a picnic! 

Gas prices: Prices fell yesterday, compared to the weekend.  Costco on Cobb Parkway offered the least expensive gas, at $3.64. Kroger (W. Walnute Ave.), Flash Foods (Gray Hwy.) and BP (Chattanooga Valley Rd.) came in at a close second with $3.65 per gallon.  The most expensive gas - $3.69 - was at the Marathon on McFarland Ave.  

Senior Scam Seminar: SafetySmart Lilburn will present "Top 25 Senior Scams" at City Hall tonight from 7-8:15 p.m.  Sponsored by the Lilburn Police Department, this event will offer a lot of useful information, including recent scam activity in Gwinnett County.  It is free of charge and open to the public.  

Possible date of Jesus' crucifixion: According to Christian tradition and scholars like Fotheringham, Hoehner, Waddington and Schaeffer, April 3, AD 33, is one of the possible dates of Jesus of Nazareth's crucifixion.  (Isaac Newton preferred April 23, AD 34.)  Since no exact date has been determined, Good Friday marks the day of his crucifixion, while Easter - on April 8 this year - marks the day Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead.  And in case you ever wondered, Easter is always the Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon (the 14th day of the lunar month).  

1974 tornado outbreak:  April 3, 1974, held the record for the largest tornado outbreak over a 24 hour period in history -- until April, 2011.  The 1974 outbreak included twisters in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama and Ontario, Canada.  It also had the highest death toll, which was a total of 300 people.  However, the 2011 outbreak was deadlier, with a total death toll of 340.  The extreme weather event included six F5 and 24 F4 tornadoes.