NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMAY

APRIL 2023

2-8: Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10 to 15°F below normal in northeastern Montana and parts of the Dakotas. Similar departures were observed across much of the Intermountain West. Meanwhile, warmer-than-normal weather covered areas from the middle and lower Mississippi Valley to the middle and southern Atlantic Coast. Weekly readings averaged more than 10°F above normal in scattered locations along and near the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida.

Chilly weather accompanied the Southeastern rain, with April 8 maximum temperatures remaining below the 60-degree mark in Charleston, SC (56°F), and Tuscaloosa, AL (58°F). Warmth preceded the Southern rain, with April 3 highs setting daily records in Texas locations such as Del Rio (99°F), and Austin’s Camp Mabry (93°F). Daily-record warmth extended to other areas, including the southern Plains and Midwest; April 3 highs rose to 89°F in Tulsa, OK, and 86°F in Springfield, MO. Additional Midwestern records on April 4 included 87°F in Quincy, IL, and 86°F in Burlington, IA. Eastern warmth peaked on April 5-6, with Georgetown, DE, reporting consecutive dailyrecord highs of 85 and 89°F. The temperature touched 90°F on April 5 as far north as Huntington, WV. In the South, Baton Rouge, LA, tallied a trio of daily-record highs (90, 89, and 88°F) from April 4-6. Florida’s peninsula experienced multiple days of record-breaking warmth, as temperatures in Fort Myers surged to 94 and 93°F, respectively, on April 5 and 6. In stark contrast, persistently chilly conditions gripped the western and northcentral U.S. In Washington, the week began (on April 2) with daily-record lows in Ephrata (23°F) and Wenatchee (27°F). South Lake Tahoe, CA, notched three consecutive daily-record lows (9, 7, and 8°F) from April 3-5. Post-storm temperatures plunged to sub-zero, daily-record levels on April 7 in Randolph, UT (-15°F), and Hibbing, MN (-2°F). Big Piney, WY, registered consecutive daily-record lows (-7 and -5°F, respectively) on April 6-7. Elsewhere on the 6th, daily-record lows dipped to 0°F in Aberdeen, SD, and 1°F in Bismarck ND. Winter-like temperatures engulfed the Alaskan mainland, holding weekly temperatures as much as 20°F below normal across the west-central part of the state.

9-15: Late-week storm system delivered precipitation (rain and wet snow) across the upper Midwest. Meanwhile, generally dry weather stretched from California to the southern Plains. In the latter region, punishing drought and warm, windy weather further stressed rangeland, pastures, and winter grains. Late-week showers provided very limited and localized drought relief in a few areas, including parts of central and eastern Kansas. In California, the Great Basin, and the Southwest, extensive snowpack began to melt, amid warm, sunny conditions. Elsewhere, showery weather returned across the Northwest, while locally heavy rain soaked the South. Some of the heaviest rain, locally 4 inches or more, fell in the central Gulf Coast region and across southern Florida. Late in the week, showers spread northeastward across the eastern U.S. Weekly temperatures averaged 10 to 20°F above normal from the central Plains into the Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast. Warmer-than-normal weather also dominated the mid-South, southern Plains, and Southwest. In contrast, snow-covered areas in eastern North Dakota and environs experienced nearnormal temperatures.

Widespread below-normal temperatures were limited to the Northwest. As the week began, warmth arrived in the West. By April 10, dailyrecord highs in Montana rose to 80°F in Miles City and Missoula. On the same date in Arizona, Tucson (97°F) registered a dailyrecord high. By April 11, Cheyenne, WY (80°F), tallied its earliest-ever reading at or above the 80-degree mark, previously set with a high of 82°F on April 21, 1960. Tucson (99°F on April 11) eventually posted another daily-record high, while other Southwestern records for the date included 99°F in Phoenix, AZ, and 93°F in Las Vegas, NV. Daily-record warmth also spread across the Plains, where April 11 highs surged to 94°F in Pierre, SD, and 92°F in Scottsbluff, NE. Three consecutive daily-record highs were set from April 11-13 in a few locations, including North Platte, NE (89, 93, and 95°F). In the Great Lakes States, a trio of daily-record highs occurred from April 12-14 in Traverse City, MI (83, 86, and 86°F), and Scranton, PA (84, 87, and 91°F). With a high of 86°F on April 12, Green Bay, WI, noted its earliest-ever reading above the 85-degree mark. Binghamton, NY (86°F on April 13), also topped 85°F earlier than ever before, breaking a record originally set with a high of 86°F on April 17, 2002. Late in the week, hot weather extended as far north as New England, where Hartford, CT, collected consecutive daily-record highs (92 and 96°F, respectively), on April 13-14. Hartford’s high of 96°F tied a monthly record originally set on April 19, 1976. Northeastern daily-record highs above the 90-degree mark on April 14 included 93°F in Newark, NJ, and 91°F in New York’s Central Park. Late-week heat also affected the Deep South, where record-setting highs for April 15 soared to 99°F in McAllen, TX, and 93°F in Fort Myers, FL.

16-22: Dry weather stretched from California to the central and southern High Plains. In the latter region, drought maintained significant stress on rangeland, pastures, and winter grains. The High Plains also dealt with other complications, such as high winds, blowing dust, and rapid temperature fluctuations. Elsewhere, cool Northwestern conditions and scattered showers slowed fieldwork but boosted topsoil moisture for winter grains and recently sown or soon-to-be planted summer crops. As chilly conditions advanced eastward, weekly temperatures broadly averaged 5 to 10°F below normal from the Northwest into the upper Midwest. Significantly below normal temperatures extended as far south as the Sierra Nevada and the central Rockies. Meanwhile, temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in portions of the middle and northern Atlantic States.

In northern Minnesota, record-setting snowfall totals for April 20 reached 5.9 inches in International Falls and 3.2 inches in Duluth. International Falls logged another daily snowfall record, 2.6 inches, on April 21. Through April 22, seasonal snowfall records had already been broken in several locations, including Duluth (139.9 inches; previously, 135.4 inches in 1995-96); Rhinelander, WI (120.2 inches; previously, 116.3 inches in 2018-19); and Saint Cloud, MN (88.2 inches; previously, 87.9 inches in 1964-65). Even before the mid-April arrival of wintry weather, snow-melt flooding was underway in parts of the upper Midwest. On April 13, the Big Sioux River near Watertown, SD, achieved its third-highest level on record, cresting 1.81 feet above flood stage. It was the highest river level in that location since April 2001. Similarly, the Mississippi River at Saint Cloud, MN, rose to its third-highest level on record (0.95 foot above flood stage on April 16)— the highest crest in that city since April 2001. Farther south, the week opened with heavy rain on April 16 in southern Florida, where West Palm Beach netted a daily-record sum of 4.97 inches. Elsewhere on the 16th, thunderstorms near the mouth of the Mississippi River produced a wind gust to 76 mph in Grand Isle, LA. Later, rain spread into other parts of the eastern U.S.; record-setting totals for April 17 included 2.47 inches in Sarasota-Bradenton, FL, and 1.21 inches in Plattsburgh, NY. Meanwhile, rain and snow showers dotted the Northwest, where Boise, ID, collected a daily-record snowfall (0.9 inch) on April 18. During the mid- to late-week period, locally severe thunderstorms affected the eastern half of the U.S.

23-29: Completely dry weather from California into the Southwest accompanied early-season heat. In fact, weekly temperatures averaged at least 10°F above normal in portions of California, with warmer-than-normal conditions extending eastward into the Great Basin and Desert Southwest, and northward into the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies. In contrast, temperatures averaged as much as 10°F below normal in several areas, including the southern Plains and the eastern Corn Belt. During the early- to mid-week period, unusually cold weather gripped the nation’s midsection, resulting in widespread freezes as far south as the central Plains and Ohio Valley. In freeze-affected areas, producers monitored crops such as blooming fruits and heading winter wheat. However, only scattered emergence of summer crops was noted in areas where temperatures fell to 32°F or below. On April 23 in Nebraska, daily-record low temperatures dipped to 15°F in Broken Bow and Chadron; 16°F in North Platte and Sidney; and 19°F in Imperial. In Kansas, daily-record lows plunged to 17°F in Colby and Goodland. On the same date, Midwestern records included 21°F in Sioux City, IA, and 23°F in St. Joseph, MO. Indianapolis, IN, collected a daily-record low (28°F) for April 24. By mid-week, another push of cold air led to record-setting lows for April 26 in locations such as Mason City, IA (22°F); Fort Wayne, IN (28°F); and Moline, IL (29°F). Temperatures remained below 60°F all week from parts of North Dakota to Upper Michigan. In Jamestown, ND, the highest reading reported during the entire month was 58°F (on the 26th), tying an April low-maximum temperature record originally set in 1975. In contrast, an early-season hot spell in the Far West boosted temperatures to 100°F or higher in parts of the Desert Southwest and to near the 95-degree mark in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Bakersfield, CA, notched a daily-record high (97°F) on April 28. Elsewhere on the 28th, monthly record high temperatures were established in Northwestern locations such as Roseburg, OR (95°F), and Hoquiam, WA (86°F). Palm Springs, CA, posted a daily-record high (106°F) on April 29. Farther east, Burlington, VT, completed its warmest April on record, with a monthly average temperature of 50.6°F (5.0°F above normal). In contrast, April temperatures averaged 5 to 7°F below normal in North Dakota locations such as Bismarck, Dickinson, and Minot.

 

 

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