NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

APRIL 2025

Mar. 30-Apr. 5: Historically heavy rain, totaling as much as 8 to 16 inches from the northeastern corner of Texas into Kentucky, triggered widespread flooding, which persisted beyond the end of the week as water drained from tributaries into mainstem rivers. Areas hit hardest by river flooding stretched from northeastern Arkansas into the lower Ohio Valley. More broadly, the heavy-rainfall event spanned at least 5 days, starting April 1, and included several disturbances propagating along a nearly stationary frontal boundary. The stormy spell also included a severe weather outbreak, which featured more than 100 tornadoes, based on preliminary reports. On April 2-3, the most active evening and night for severe weather, a tornado-related fatality apiece was reported in Stoddard County, MO, and Fayette County, TN. However, several areas received beneficial precipitation. On the Plains, rain and even some wet snow reduced the wildfire threat.

Across the upper Great Lakes region, freezing and frozen precipitation continued in late March. With northeastern Wisconsin and northern Lower Michigan reeling from ice accumulations that toppled trees and downed power lines, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula received heavy snow. On March 30, Marquette, MI, measured 2.74 inches of precipitation, in the form of 18.9 inches of sleet and snow. That marked the wettest March day on record in Marquette (previously, 2.42 inches on March 13, 2006). Meanwhile, late-month showers dotted Florida, where Fort Lauderdale measured a daily record sum of 2.27 inches on March 30. On the last day of March, showers in Louisiana led to daily-record totals of 3.25 inches in New Iberia and 2.15 inches in Lafayette. As April began, the focus for heavy precipitation shifted westward. On April 1, Alta, UT, netted 21.0 inches of snow, a record for the date. Snow also developed across the northern Plains, where record-setting totals for April 1 included 6.0 inches in Watertown, SD, and 3.0 inches in Townsend, MT. South Dakota’s snowfall persisted into April 2, pushing 2-day totals to 10.0 inches in Aberdeen and 6.8 inches in Sisseton. In neighboring North Dakota, Fargo received 6.7 inches of snow from April 1-3. Meanwhile, heavy rain and locally severe thunderstorms erupted on April 2, mainly from the mid-South into the lower Midwest, with daily-record totals topping 2 inches in locations such as Kalamazoo, MI (2.80 inches), and Hot Springs, AR (2.28 inches). Another wave of heavy rain on April 3 resulted in daily-record totals of 4.32 inches in Memphis, TN; 3.86 inches in Nashville, TN; and 2.93 inches in Bowling Green, KY. By April 4, daily-record amounts ranged from 3 to 6 inches in Texarkana, AR (5.28 inches); West Plains, MO (4.38 inches); and Tyler, TX (3.68 inches). Finally, in a last wave of downpours on April 5, record-setting totals for the date surged to 6.05 inches in Little Rock, AR; 5.47 inches in Memphis, TN; 3.58 inches in Paducah, KY; and 3.36 inches in Monroe, LA. April 1-5 rainfall totals topped the 10-inch mark in numerous towns and cities, including Germantown, TN (13.26 inches); Memphis, TN (12.37 inches); Little Rock, AR (11.82 inches); and Bowling Green, KY (10.04 inches). Five-day amounts ranging from 8 to 10 inches were observed in Clarksville, TN (9.79 inches); Texarkana, AR (8.94 inches); Jonesboro, AR (8.75 inches); Poplar Bluff, MO (8.43 inches); and Lexington, KY (8.14 inches). Farther west, precipitation ended as wet snow in western Texas, where April 5 amounts reached 2.2 inches in Amarillo and 1.5 inches in Lubbock.

6-12: Although heavy rain moved into the eastern U.S. by April 6, then ended, lowland flooding persisted throughout the week in the mid-South and lower Midwest. From Cincinnati, OH (on April 7), to Owensboro, KY (on April 11), the Ohio River achieved its highest crest since March 1997. At Newburgh Lock and Dam in Indiana, the Ohio River climbed 12.68 feet above flood stage on April 11 to reach the highest crest in that location since March 1945.

As the week began, rain finally ended across the mid-South and lower Midwest, while shifting into the Southeast. During the first 6 days of April, rainfall totaled 12.43 inches in Memphis, TN; 11.84 inches in Little Rock, AR; 10.48 inches in Bowling Green, KY; and 9.47 inches in Cape Girardeau, MO. In a few cases, floodwaters rose to their highest levels on record. For example, the Obion River near Obion, TN, rose 6.75 feet above flood stage on April 7, topping the January 1937 high-water mark by 0.35 foot. Elsewhere, the White River at Petersburg, IN, crested 11.66 feet above flood stage on April 11—the third-highest level on record in that location behind 13.50 feet above flood stage on March 29, 1913, and 12.30 feet on January 22, 1937. The Ouachita River at Camden, AR, surged 16.29 feet above flood stage on April 9—the highest crest for that gauge since December 29, 1987. On April 6, during a final day of widespread Southeastern downpours, daily-record rainfall totals included 6.51 inches in Mobile, AL; 3.63 inches in Columbus, GA; and 3.26 inches in Hattiesburg, MS. For Mobile, it was the wettest April day since April 29, 2014, when 11.23 inches fell. Meanwhile, showers overspreading the Pacific Northwest led to record-setting totals for April 7 in Washington locations such as Bellingham (0.59 inch) and Pasco (0.46 inch). Thereafter, mostly tranquil weather prevailed until April 11, when heavy rain in the middle Atlantic States resulted in daily-record totals in Wilmington, DE (1.68 inches); Salisbury, MD (1.47 inches); and Richmond, VA (1.37 inches).

13-19: Lowland flooding gradually subsided across the mid South and lower Midwest, while heavy rain returned late in the week to areas farther north and west, from central Texas into the middle Mississippi Valley. Locally severe thunderstorms developed as the week progressed, affecting the upper Midwest on April 17 and a swath extending northeastward from central Texas on April 18-19.

In Arkansas, the lower stretch of the White River achieved its highest level since May 2017, cresting 9.10 feet above flood stage (on April 12) in Des Arc and 6.08 feet above flood stage (on April 15) in Clarendon. Meanwhile, significant precipitation clipped parts of Maine, where April 13-16 totals included 1.39 inches in Caribou and 1.83 inches in Houlton. Caribou also received 3.0 inches of snow (on April 13-14). Around mid-week, precipitation began to develop across the Rockies and environs. Livingston, MT, measured a daily-record sum (0.62 inch) on April 16, as rain changed to snow. Elsewhere in Montana, Billings recorded 6.5 inches of snow on April 16-17. Similarly, April 17-18 precipitation in Lander, WY, totaled 1.40 inches, in the form of 12.9 inches of snow. By April 18, meaningful precipitation extended as far south as Arizona, where daily-record amounts included 0.65 inch in Winslow and 0.55 inch in Prescott. The precipitation total in Prescott since October 1, 2024, rose to 3.88 inches (62 percent of normal). Flagstaff, AZ, measured 9.0 inches of snow on April 18-19, while Albuquerque, NM, netted 0.4 inch on the latter date. Farther east, late-week downpours extended northeastward from central Texas. Daily-record rainfall totals for April 18 included 1.40 inches in Houghton Lake, MI, and 1.25 inches in Mason City, IA. The following day, Vichy-Rolla, MO, collected a record-setting sum (1.79 inches) for April 19. For the 2 day period ending April 20, rainfall totaled 4.25 inches in Fayetteville, AR, and 3.45 inches in Tulsa, OK. Farther southwest, however, El Paso, TX, endured visibility reductions to one-half mile or less each day from April 16-19, along with wind gusts as high as 57 mph. Meanwhile in New Mexico, April 17 peak gusts included 73 mph in Raton, 67 mph in Ruidoso, 65 mph in Roswell, 63 mph in Albuquerque, 62 mph in Clayton, 61 mph in Tucumcari, and 60 mph in Deming. Roswell’s peak gust on April 18 touched 70 mph.

20-26: the week began (on April 20) with a tornado outbreak from the Ozark Plateau into the middle Mississippi Valley, followed by scattered reports of severe thunderstorms (starting April 22) on the central and southern Plains.

weekly temperatures averaged 5 to 10°F above normal from the western Gulf Coast region and the middle and lower Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic Coast, excluding Florida’s peninsula, northern New York, and northern New England. Temperatures also averaged at least 5°F above normal in much of Utah and environs. Conversely, slightly below normal temperatures were observed in a few areas, including parts of California and the northern High Plains. As the week began, warmth well in advance of a cold front delivered daily-record highs for April 20 in Tampa, FL (90°F), and Bowling Green, KY (87°F). Closer to the cold front, April 20 thunderstorms spawned as many as three dozen tornadoes, mostly in Missouri and western Illinois, but also extending into Arkansas and southeastern sections of Iowa and Kansas. Later, record-setting warmth redeveloped in the southern Atlantic States, where Tallahassee, FL, posted a daily-record high of 91°F on April 23. Elsewhere in Florida, record-setting highs for April 24 soared to 92°F in Tampa and Fort Myers. Tampa tallied another daily record, its third of the week, with a high of 93°F on April 25. Meanwhile, warmth gradually returned across the West, starting near the Pacific Coast, where Portland, OR, posted a daily-record high (81°F) on April 24. Late in the week, warmth began to expand across the South, resulting in record-setting highs for April 26 in Mississippi locations such as Vicksburg (89°F) and Greenwood (88°F).

27-May 3: A late-April deluge across the southern Plains led to extensive flooding from north-central Texas into northeastern Oklahoma. Those areas had also received several rounds of heavy rain earlier in the month, boosting April totals as high as 10 to 20 inches across much of the southeastern half of Oklahoma and portions of neighboring states. Substantial, late-month rain extended into other regions, including the mid-South and lower Midwest. Severe weather, while not widespread, was observed each day during the week, starting on the Plains and ending in the East.

 Rain on the southern Plains, while initially beneficial for rangeland, pastures, winter wheat, and emerging summer crops, soon became excessive from north-central Texas into northeastern Oklahoma. On May 1, Beaver Creek near Waurika, OK, crested 7.65 feet above flood stage, topping the June 2007 high-water mark by 1.54 feet. Elsewhere in Oklahoma, Deep Red Creek near Randlett crested 9.14 feet above flood stage on April 30, second only to the flood (9.58 feet above flood stage) of May 29, 1987. By May 4, the Red River near Gainesville, TX, crested 13.39 feet above flood stage—the third-highest level on record at that gauge site, below only the floods of June 2015 and May 1987. An April rainfall record was broken in Tulsa, OK, where the 10.99-inch total clipped the 2017 standard of 10.44 inches. April rainfall records were also shattered in Oklahoma locations such as Lawton (13.92 inches; previously, 9.76 inches in 1915) and Oklahoma City (12.55 inches; previously, 11.91 inches in 1947). In neighboring Texas, the 10.35-inch monthly total in Wichita Falls bested the April 1957 mark of 8.50 inches. Fittingly, April ended with a final deluge on the 30th, when daily-record amounts reached 4.88 inches in Longview, TX; 4.53 inches in Shreveport, LA; and 2.47 inches in Lawton, OK. Earlier, mostly beneficial precipitation had fallen from parts of Montana and Wyoming into the upper Great Lakes region. Record-setting precipitation totals for April 28 had reached 1.98 inches in Hibbing, MN, and 1.50 inches at Montana State University in Bozeman. Later, the focus for heavy showers shifted to other areas, including parts of the Midwest, South, and East. Madison, WI, netted a daily-record sum (1.80 inches) for May 1. Record-setting rainfall for May 2 totaled 4.32 inches in College Station, TX; 2.92 inches in Tuscaloosa, AL; and 2.85 inches in Shreveport, LA. Late in the week, precipitation developed across the West, extending as far south as the southern Great Basin and the Four Corners States. Las Vegas, NV, received rainfall totaling 0.26 inch on May 3-4, an unusual amount for a month with a normal value of 0.07 inch.

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