NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

APRIL 2016

1-9: A frontal system shifted across the eastern third of the country on Friday, while an area of low pressure moved over the Southwest. A cold frontal boundary extended southwestward from the eastern Great Lakes to the western Gulf Coast.  Meanwhile, a wave of low pressure transitioned across the western Great Lakes. A mixture of rain and snow accompanied this system, which affected the northern Plains and the upper Midwest. Winter weather advisories were issued for southwest New York in anticipation of snow showers.
A separate area of low pressure moved eastward across the Four Corners. Rain and high elevation snow developed across the Desert Southwest and the lower Intermountain West. Winter weather advisories were issued in southeast New Mexico and western Texas. Corona, N.M., reported a midday total of 4.0 inches of snow. Most western states stayed clear of precipitation due to high pressure over the West Coast.

 

10-16: Wet weather tapered off for the East Coast on Tuesday as a cold front moved offshore and into the Atlantic Ocean. A low pressure system in eastern Canada created a strong cold front that triggered rain showers down the East Coast from Maine through the Carolinas and into northern Florida. Rainfall totals along this front ranged from 0.5 to 1.0 inches, with scattered thunderstorm development likely across the Gulf States and the Carolinas. Severe storms did not yet develop in these areas by midday on Tuesday.
Behind this system in the Plains, a low pressure system over the southern Rockies advanced eastward and pulled in abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. This triggered scattered showers across the Four Corners with thunderstorm activity across southern New Mexico and into northern Texas. The northern side of this system allowed for scattered showers to develop across Idaho, western Montana, and Wyoming. Central and southern Texas remained under a slight and marginal chance for severe thunderstorm activity with large hail and strong winds as the main threats. Severe storms have not yet developed in this region. Meanwhile in the Northwest, another system moved into the Pacific Northwest, increasing chances for rain in western Washington and northwestern Oregon. This system also brought cloudy skies and cool conditions to most of the West Coast on Tuesday.

 

17-23: A low pressure system produced a wet weather pattern across the Plains on Monday, while areas west of the Continental Divide experienced dry conditions. A slow moving low pressure system brought major impacts to the Plains and the western Gulf Coast. Multiple clusters of rain and thunderstorms trekked across the central and southern Plains. Flood warnings and flash flood warnings were issued for southeast Texas. Flood warnings were also issued for northern Texas, southeast Oklahoma and parts of Louisiana. La Grange, Texas, reported a midday total of 10.43 inches of rain. Barksdale Air Force Base, La., reported a midday total of 3.64 inches of rain. This system also ushered a mixture of rain and snow across the northern Plains, the central high Plains and the Rockies. Winter weather advisories were issued for northeast New Mexico, western Colorado, northern Wyoming and southeast Montana. Pagosa Springs, Colo., reported a midday total of 5.0 inches of snow. Showers also developed along a stationary front that extended from the upper Mississippi Valley to New England. A ridge of high pressure kept most of the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast clear of precipitation.  A dry weather pattern also continued west of the Continental Divide. Temperatures rose into the 80s and 90s across California and western Arizona on Monday. Thermal, Calif., recorded a midday high of 90 degrees. San Bernardino, Calif., recorded a midday high of 87 degrees.

 

24-30: As the week progressed, cool air encroached from the north and west. As a result, weekly temperatures averaged as much as 10F below normal at a few locations across northern New England and the northern High Plains. In contrast, warmth lingered for much of the week across the nation’s southeastern quadrant. Temperatures averaged at least 10F above normal in portions of the southern Appalachians and environs. Late-week temperatures topped 90F in much of the southern Atlantic region and reached 100F at several locations in Deep South Texas.

 

Early-season heat developed across the Deep South and persisted for much of the week. Hattiesburg, MS, posted a daily-record high of 88F on April 26. Three days later, record-setting highs in Georgia for April 29 soared to 93F in Savannah and 91F in Augusta. On the same date, Sarasota-Bradenton, FL, notched a daily-record high of 92F. In Deep South Texas, McAllen registered a record-setting high (101F) for April 30. Farther north, however, chilly conditions were especially prominent in New England. In Maine, consecutive daily-record lows were set on April 26-27 in locations such as Houlton (17 and 18F) and Bangor

(24 and 21°F). Cool air also briefly settled across the Northwest, where Klamath Falls, OR, tallied a daily-record low of 18F on April 26. A day later, Laramie, WY, netted a record-setting low (10°F) for April 27. Very cool conditions persisted in New England through April 29, when Montpelier accompanied the rain. Significant precipitation, including high-elevation snow, also fell from the Great Basin to the central Rockies. Dry weather was confined to a few small areas, including the Desert Southwest, western and southern Texas, the southern Atlantic region, and northern New England. As the week progressed, cool air encroached from the north and west. As a result, weekly temperatures averaged as much as 10F below normal at a few locations across northern New England and the northern High Plains. In contrast, warmth lingered for much of the week across the nation’s southeastern quadrant. Temperatures averaged at least 10F above normal in portions of the southern Appalachians and environs.

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