NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

 

APRIL 2022

 

3-9: Mostly dry weather prevailed from the West Coast to the High Plains, except in the Pacific Northwest. In California and environs, a second heat wave in 3 weeks led to further reductions in high-elevation snowpack and resulted in unusually heavy irrigation demands so early in the year. California’s early-season heat boosted weekly temperatures at least 10°F above normal in a few locations. Near- or abovenormal temperatures were also prevalent across the Plains, Deep South, and Atlantic Coast States. In contrast, readings averaged more than 5°F below normal in some Midwestern locations. Near- or below-normal temperatures were common across the Northwest, which experienced cooler weather as the week progressed. Early in the week, Eastern warmth was mostly limited to southern Florida, where Fort Myers posted a daily-record high of 90°F on April 4. The following day, hot weather surged into the south-central U.S. in advance of an approaching cold front. In Texas, daily-record highs for April 5 included 100°F in Del Rio; 97°F in Waco; 96°F in Childress; and 95°F in San Antonio, Wichita Falls, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Elsewhere on the 5th, Lawton, OK, posted a daily-record high of 92°F. A monthly record was established on April 6 in McAllen, TX, where the high of 109°F clipped the former mark of 107°F, set on April 26, 1984, and April 27, 2014. With a high of 104°F on the 6th, Brownsville, TX, tied a monthly record originally set on April 26, 2017. Meanwhile, hot weather also persisted in parts of Florida, where record-setting highs for April 6 surged to 93°F in Orlando and 92°F in Vero Beach. Farther west, cooler air arrived in the Northwest, while heat developed across much of California. On April 6, daily-record lows in Oregon dipped to 11°F in Burns and 16°F in Redmond. Olympia, WA (25°F), also posted a recordsetting low for April 6. However, consecutive daily-record highs were established on April 7-8 in California locations such as Long Beach (100 and 101°F, respectively); Los Angeles International Airport (95 and 97°F); and Fresno (94 and 96°F). The only previous April dates Long Beach had experienced readings of 100°F or greater were April 4-6, 1989; April 26, 2004; and April 20, 2009. On April 8, triple-digit, daily-record highs were also observed in southern California locations such as Anaheim (106°F), Santa Ana (103°F), and Escondido (102°F). Record-setting warmth briefly spread to the northern High Plains; in Montana, highs for the 8th soared to 80°F in Helena and 78°F in Lewistown. Conversely, sharply cooler air punching into the South resulted in daily-record lows for April 9 in Arkansas locations such as Russellville (28°F) and Little Rock Air Force Base (28°F).

 

10-16: Mostly dry weather prevailed along the middle and southern Atlantic Coast. Warm weather prevailed for much of the week across the South, East, and lower Midwest, boosting temperatures more than 10°F above normal across portions of the southern Plains and scattered locations in the middle and northern Atlantic States. In contrast, a harsh cold snap engulfed the northern Plains and the Northwest, holding weekly temperatures at least 10 to 20°F below normal from the Cascades to the Dakotas. In fact, chilly weather broadly covered much of the remainder of the western U.S., as well as the upper Midwest. As the week began, cool weather lingered along the Atlantic Coast. In Florida, Vero Beach (43°F) noted a daily-record low for April 10. Meanwhile, increasingly cold weather spread across the northern Plains and much of the West. By April 12, daily-record lows in California dipped to 7°F in South Lake Tahoe, 31°F in Redding, and 33°F in Sacramento. Sub-zero temperatures settled across the northern Rockies, where Lake Yellowstone, WY, registered a low of -18°F on April 13. From April 13-16, Billings, MT, logged lows of 9, 4, 10, and 15°F, breaking daily records each day by at least 5°F. Billings also recorded its latest-ever reading below 5°F (previously, 0°F on April 5, 1936). Elsewhere in Montana, the temperature in Cut Bank remained continuously below 32°F from April 11-16. By the 16th, single-digit lows were common across snow-covered areas in North Dakota, where temperatures fell to 8°F in Minot and Grand Forks. With a low of 0°F on the 16th, Bismarck, ND, experienced its latest-ever reading of 0°F or below—and its coldest April weather since 1996, when it was -1°F on April 5. Great Falls, MT, closed the week with consecutive daily-record lows (7 and 8°F, respectively) on April 15-16. Mid-week temperatures briefly plunged across the central and southern Plains, threatening the already drought-stressed winter wheat crop. Denver, CO, registered 10°F on April 13, a record for the date, followed the next day by dailyrecord lows of 4°F in Sidney, NE; 9°F in Colby, KS; and 22°F in Dalhart, TX. Unusually cold conditions also gripped the Northwest, where the 15th featured the lowest-ever April temperatures in Washington locations such as Ephrata (19°F; previously 21°F on April 2, 1999, and April 19, 2008) and Wenatchee (23°F; previously, 25°F on April 21, 2008). In stark contrast, heat surged northward in advance of a strong cold front. In Texas, a wave of record highs on April 12 included maxima of 103°F in Laredo and Del Rio. On the same date, daily-record highs climbed above the 90-degree mark in Grand Island, NE (92°F), and Concordia, KS (92°F). McAllen, TX, notched a daily-record high of 107°F on April 13. By the 14th, warmth reached the Atlantic Coast States, where Newark, NJ, attained 88°F—a record for the date. Meanwhile, heat quickly returned across the southern High Plains, where Lubbock, TX, posted a record-setting high (92°F) for April 15.

 

17-23: Weekly temperatures averaged more than 10°F below normal in parts of North Dakota and eastern Montana, especially where snow helped to suppress temperatures. Below-normal temperatures were also prevalent in the Northeast and Northwest, as well as portions of the Great Lakes region. In contrast, temperatures averaged at least 5 to 10°F above normal across central and southern sections of the Rockies and Plains.

 

As the week began, frigid conditions lingered across snow-covered sections of the northern Plains. From April 16-19, Grand Forks, ND, posted four consecutive sub-10°F readings (5, 5, 8, and 4°F), all of which set records for the date. During the height of the cold snap, Grand Forks’ snow depth ranged from 6 to 8 inches. Chilly weather also persisted in the Northwest, where Yakima, WA, notched a daily-record low of 21°F on April 17. By the 18th, cold air spread into the Northeast, where daily-record lows included 23°F in Binghamton, NY, and 25°F in Allentown, PA. Midwestern daily-record lows for April 19 included 19°F in Cedar Rapids, IA, and 26°F in Quincy, IL. Meanwhile, hot weather prevailed across the Deep South, where daily-record highs soared to 104°F (on April 17) in Del Rio, TX, and 93°F (on April 19) in Fort Myers, FL. An impressive heat surge in advance of a cold front sent temperatures to 90°F or higher—mainly on April 22—as far north as southern South Dakota. Daily-record highs for April 22 climbed to 97°F in Nebraska locations such as Valentine and North Platte. Temperatures reached 100°F—mainly on April 20 and 21—in parts of the south-central U.S., extending to the Texas-Oklahoma border near Childress (100°F on April 21) and Wichita Falls, TX (99°F on April 20). In contrast, cool weather prevailed throughout the week across the nation’s northern tier. Toward week’s end, warmth returned across the eastern U.S., where record-setting highs for April 23 rose to 88°F.

 

24-30: Several dangerous, early-season wildfires continued to burn across Arizona and New Mexico, with containment efforts hampered by high winds, low humidity levels, and ample drought-cured vegetation. Meanwhile, cool, showery weather prevailed in the Northwest, while mild, mostly dry weather covered the Southeast.

 

Weekly temperatures averaged more than 10°F below normal in parts of Minnesota and the Dakotas, while chilly conditions also gripped the northern Atlantic States and the Northwest. In contrast, temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal across in portions of the western Gulf Coast region. Early-week warmth prevailed in southern California, where Los Angeles (LAX Airport) collected consecutive dailyrecord highs of 86°F on April 24-25. Farther east, Tucson, AZ, reported a dailyrecord high of 100°F (on April 26)—only the fourteenth observance of triple-digit heat on record during April in that location. Tucson’s only earlier readings of 100°F or higher occurred on April 19-21, 1989, and April 22-23, 2012. Meanwhile, temperatures fell below 32°F throughout the North, extending into the Rockies, Intermountain West, and northern Great Basin. April 25 featured daily-record lows in locations such as Sidney, NE (14°F), and Goodland, KS (22°F). Sidney’s reading was recorded just 3 days after a daily-record high (91°F on April 22). A few readings below the 20-degree mark were also reported in the upper Midwest, with daily-record lows of 19°F occurring on April 26 in Sioux City, IA, and Huron, SD. With a low of 32°F on April 26, Wichita, KS, experienced its latest spring freeze since April 30, 2005. Marquette, MI, with a maximum temperature of 29°F on April 26, noted its latest-ever high below the 30-degree mark. Chilly weather lingered a few more days in the Great Lakes and Northeastern States, with daily-record lows falling to 15°F (on April 27) in Hibbing, MN, and 15°F (on April 28) in Marquette, MI. Northeastern daily-record lows dipped to 29°F (on April 28) in Pittsburgh, PA, and 32°F (on April 29) in Baltimore, MD. Watertown, NY, closed the month with consecutive daily-record lows (22 and 23°F, respectively) on April 29-30. Chilly weather also persisted in the Northwest, where Pocatello, ID (23°F), tallied a daily-record low for April 30. In contrast, late-week temperatures surged to 90°F or higher throughout southern and western Texas, briefly extending northward into western Oklahoma and central Kansas. In Texas, record-tying highs for April 28 soared to 96°F in Lubbock and 92°F in Amarillo. On April 29, Childress, TX, notched a daily-record high of 97°F.

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