NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

 

APRIL 2022

 

3-9: Much of the eastern half of the nation received substantial precipitation, with weekly totals ranging from 2 to 4 inches or more in parts of the South and Northeast. Severe thunderstorms accompanied the Southern showers; several dozen tornadoes were spotted on April 4-6 from northeastern Texas to the southern Atlantic Coast.

 

Rain and snow showers were common across the Midwest, although significant snow accumulations were generally confined to the upper Great Lakes region.

 

A couple of spring storms crossing the North, high winds were observed in several areas. In Montana, April 4 wind gusts were clocked to 69 mph in Cut Bank and 63 mph at Dillon Airport. Ongoing high winds in Montana on April 5 resulted in gusts to 66 mph in Lewistown and 62 mph in Helena. Later, numerous damaging wind gusts related to Southern thunderstorm activity were reported from April 4-7. At Craig Airport in Jacksonville, FL, a thunderstorm-produced gust to 57 mph was reported on April 7. Elsewhere on the 7th in Florida, a gust to 82 mph was recorded in Fort Pierce. Two days earlier, on April 5, a thunderstorm wind gust to 77 mph had been noted in Crestview, FL. April 5 also represented a peak day for tornadic activity, with as many as six dozen twisters spotted—based on preliminary reports—from Mississippi to South Carolina. Southern daily-record rainfall totals included 4.48 inches (on April 5) in Hattiesburg, MS; 4.16 inches (on April 6) in Macon, GA; and 2.90 inches (on April 7) in Jacksonville, FL. A wave of Northeastern daily rainfall records occurred on April 7, when calendar-day totals reached 2.14 inches in Scranton, PA, and 2.03 inches in Albany, NY. Heavy rain lingered in New England through April 8; daily-record totals on that date included 2.11 inches in Portland, ME, and 1.03 inches in Concord, NH. Meanwhile, snow showers developed across the Midwest and pushed into parts of the South and East; daily-record totals reached 0.1 inch (on April 7) in Sisseton, SD, and a trace (on April 8) in Harrison, AR. Duluth, MN, netted 8.0 inches of snow from April 5-7. By April 9, strong winds—not associated with thunderstorms—returned across the Southeast. With a gust to 58 mph on the 9th, Gainesville, FL, set a monthly record, previously attained with a gust to 56 mph on April 30, 2010.

 

10-16: A powerful spring storm delivered significant, late season snow from the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the northern Plains, stressing livestock in the middle of the calving and lambing season. High winds and blizzard conditions accompanied the snow, especially across the northern Plains, causing substantial travel disruptions.

 

Farther south, drought conditions worsened across the central and southern Plains and the Southwest, amid windy, dry conditions. At times, winds raised dust and contributed to the rapid spread of several wildfires, (Continued from front cover) including the 6,159-acre McBride Fire, which was ignited on April 12 in Ruidoso, NM, and destroyed more than 200 homes. Meanwhile, heavy showers and locally severe thunderstorms swept across the Mississippi Delta and environs, producing widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches or more and causing localized wind and hail damage. Significant rain fell in other areas, including parts of the Midwest and Northeast.

 

Early in the week, rare April snow fell at lower Northwestern elevations. The airport in Portland, OR, which had never experienced a measurable April snowfall, received 1.9 inches on April 11-12. The airport’s previous latest snow had fallen on March 25, 1965, when 0.3 inch fell. Downtown Portland, hit with 2.0 inches of wet snow on April 11, also set a record for its latest accumulation (previously, 0.1 inch on April 10, 1903). Meanwhile, high winds raked the Plains and Southwest. On April 10, a gust to 78 mph was clocked in Raton, NM. Two days later, Broken Bow, NE, recorded a gust to 62 mph. Meanwhile in North Dakota, April 12-14 snowfall included 12.6 inches in Grand Forks (National Weather Service office) and 18.3 inches in Bismarck. Stormtotal snowfall topped 2 feet in several North Dakota communities, including Velva (28.0 inches), Lansford (27.5 inches), Dunn Center (26.0 inches), and Underwood (24.3 inches). During the storm, a wind gust to 54 mph was clocked in Bismarck; elsewhere in North Dakota, gusts reached 60 mph in Dickinson and 63 mph in Minot and Hettinger. Measurable snow fell in Great Falls, MT, each day from April 11-17, totaling 12.2 inches. Farther west, the first-ever measurable April snow fell at the agricultural experiment station in Wenatchee, WA. Incredibly, the Wenatchee Experiment Station received 10.4 inches of snow on April 14, boosting its month-to-date total to 13.1 inches. A neighboring station, the Wenatchee Water Plant, received a storm total of 5.4 inches, breaking its April 1935 record of 0.5 inch. Elsewhere, a severe weather outbreak affected various parts of the Plains, Midwest, and South from April 11-14. On April 11, hail up to 4.5 inches in diameter fell in Logan County, AR, while a tornado was spotted by the observer at Little Rock Air Force Base. On April 12, an EF-3 tornado injured at least 23 people in Bell County, TX, near Salado. The same day, at least two tornadoes were documented in Minnesota, where an EF-2 twister in Mower County struck the community of Taopi. A thunderstorm wind gust to 75 mph occurred on April 13 at Hawkins Field in Jackson, MS. The mid-South remained the focus of heavy showers for several days; in Arkansas, daily-record totals included 2.81 inches (on April 13) in Stuttgart and 1.72 inches (on April 16) in Hot Springs.

 

17-23: Less than 2 weeks after a powerful, winter-like storm struck the northern Plains, a similar system delivered another round of heavy precipitation and high winds. With the more recent storm, heavy snow was focused across a smaller area, primarily blanketing western North Dakota, southeastern Montana, northwestern South Dakota, and portions of Wyoming.

 

High winds again raked the central and southern Plains and the Southwest, resulting in blowing dust and fastspreading wildfires. Across the southern High Plains’ hardest-hit drought areas, hot, windy weather sapped any remaining soil moisture and further stressed rangeland, pastures, and winter grains. Meanwhile, a few severe thunderstorms dotted the Plains and upper Midwest, leading to localized wind and hail damage. The greatest concentration of severe weather occurred on April 22 from South Dakota to northern Texas.

 

Early in the week, locally heavy rain fell in the South, while late-season snow blanketed parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Record-setting rainfall totals for April 17 included 1.91 inches in Monticello, AR; 1.60 inches in Jacksonville, FL; and 1.43 inches in Montgomery, AL. Meanwhile, snow spread from the northern Plains into the Northeast. Bismarck, ND, received a daily-record sum of 2.5 inches on April 17, shortly after 18.3 inches fell from April 12-14. Bismarck had a snow depth of at least 1 inch at daybreak each day from April 12-21, peaking at 12 inches on the morning of April 14. Additionally, an April record was set in Bismarck with 21.9 inches of snow, edging the 2013 standard of 21.8 inches. Farther east, dailyrecord snowfall totals for April 18 included 2.3 inches in Dayton, OH; 1.9 inches in Marquette, MI; 1.6 inches in Indianapolis, IN; and 1.3 inches in Williamsport, PA. For Williamsport, it was the fourth-latest snowfall on record of an inch or greater. Binghamton, NY, received a storm-total snowfall of 14.6 inches (on April 18-19), breaking its 2-day record for April (previously, 13.6 inches on April 15-16, 2007). Binghamton also set an April record for sunrise snow depth, with 14 inches on April 19 (previously, 9 inches on April 21, 1983). Late in the week, the focus for significant precipitation returned to parts of the western and central U.S. On April 22, Ely, NV, noted daily records for precipitation (0.54 inch) and snowfall (4.2 inches). Record-setting rainfall amounts for the 22nd included 1.16 inches in Rockford, IL, and 0.69 inch in Pocatello, ID. By April 23, Casper, WY, set daily records for precipitation (0.64 inch) and snowfall (6.8 inches). In Grand Forks, ND, the National Weather Service office netted 2.40 inches of rain on the 23rd, contributing to extensive flooding in the Red River Valley. Other record-setting amounts for April 23 reached 1.49 inches in International Falls, MN, and 1.04 inches in Alpena, MI. Before and during the late-week storm, high winds—some related to severe thunderstorms—battered the Plains and Southwest. On April 22, the Plains’ peak day for severe weather, wind gusts in western Nebraska were clocked to 83 mph in Scottsbluff and 76 mph in Sidney. The following day, non-thunderstorms winds reached 76 mph in Douglas, WY, and 66 mph in Chadron, NE. On the Texas High Plains, peak gusts April 22 were clocked to 73 mph in Lubbock and Dalhart. Similar gusts were reported on the 22nd in New Mexico—70, 72, 73, and 80 mph, respectively, in Gallup, Farmington, Las Vegas, and Raton. Vegetation burned topped 20,000 acres for the Cooks Peak Fire near Ocate, NM, and the Tunnel Fire near Flagstaff, AZ.

 

24-30: Active spring weather continued through the end of April, with another powerful storm system taking aim on the nation’s mid-section. Like previous storms, primary impacts included heavy precipitation in the north-central U.S.; locally severe thunderstorms across portions of the Plains and Midwest; and high winds across the nation’s southwestern quadrant. The Northern precipitation eased lingering drought concerns but provoked another round of water rises in the Red River Valley of the North. 

 

Some of the week’s heaviest Northern rain fell on April 29, when Jamestown, ND, netted a daily-record total of 1.25 inches. Jamestown’s 2-day (April 29-30) total climbed to 2.10 inches. April precipitation topped 5 inches in North Dakota locations such as Fargo (5.45 inches, or 354 percent of normal) and Grand Forks (5.47 inches, or 452 percent). Meanwhile, a cool, damp month ended across the Northwest, with April 30 fittingly featuring dailyrecord totals in Oregon locations such as Salem (0.59 inch) and Hermiston (0.50 inch). Portland, OR, completed its wettest April on record, with 5.73 inches (previously, 5.26 inches in 1993).  Farther east, locally heavy showers dotted the Plains, Midwest, mid-South, and Deep South. In southern and eastern Texas, daily-record totals included 2.60 inches (on April 25) in College Station and 2.94 inches (on April 26) in Brownsville. In Florida, Fort Myers collected a record-setting total (4.10 inches) for April 29. The 29th also featured the Plains’ greatest concentration of severe weather during the week, with well over a dozen tornadoes reported in Kansas and Nebraska. In Kansas, an EF-3 tornado (winds estimated near 165 mph) carved a 12.75-mile path across Sedgwick and Butler Counties, striking the city of Andover. Elsewhere, enough cold air lingered for some late-April snow in the Great Lakes and Northeastern States. A trace of snow fell on April 26 in Madison, WI, and Grand Rapids, MI, followed the next day by a daily-record sum (1.4 inches) in Buffalo, NY.

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com