NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
APRIL 2024

Mar. 31-Apr. 6: spotty showers and thunderstorms dotted the Southeast, while mostly dry weather prevailed for several days across the Plains. Late in the week, however, unsettled weather returned across the West, with windy weather and showers reaching the Plains by April 6.

Late-week snow fell across portions of the northern Plains, while high winds raised dust on the southern Plains. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F below normal in parts of central and southern California, the southern Great Basin, and the Desert Southwest. In contrast, temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in scattered locations across the High Plains, as well as portions of the nation’s southeastern quadrant, from the southern half of the Plains to the Carolinas.

As March ended, cool, showery weather covered much of the West. Maximum temperatures for March 31 remained below 60°F for the first time on record in southern California locations such as Santa Ana (high of 57°F) and Anaheim (59°F). In advance of the Western storminess, warmth covered much of the South and parts of the East. April 1 featured daily-record highs in Del Rio, TX (99°F), and Elizabeth City, NC (84°F). By April 3, early-season heat largely retreated into Florida, where daily-record highs surged to 93°F in Fort Lauderdale; 92°F in West Palm Beach; and 91°F in Vero Beach. Meanwhile, briefly arrived across northern California and the Northwest. On April 2, daily-record highs reached 80°F in Roseburg, OR, and 77°F in Mount Shasta, CA. Warmth spread across the High Plains by April 4, when Glasgow, MT, posted a daily-record high of 76°F. A day later, Laramie, WY, logged a record-setting high (70°F) for April 5. Farther west, the sudden return of unsettled weather suppressed temperatures anew in the Pacific Coast States. In California, high temperatures for April 4 barely topped the 50-degree mark in Sacramento (51°F) and Marysville (52°F). On April 5 in southern California, Anaheim noted another high temperature of just 59°F, while Big Bear Lake’s high of 29°F followed a 1-inch snowfall. By the morning of April 6, daily-record lows in southern California dipped to 11°F at Big Bear Lake and 43°F at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

7-13: Much of the western U.S. experienced several days of mild, dry weather. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal across large sections of the northern Plains, Midwest, Mississippi Valley, and Northeast. Readings averaged more than 10°F above normal in a few spots across the nation’s northern tier. In contrast, cooler-than-normal conditions covered parts of southern California and the Southwest, with weekly temperatures averaging as much as 5°F below normal in Arizona and New Mexico. Early in the week, chilly conditions lingered across the Southwest, where record-setting lows for April 7 dipped to 28°F in Douglas, AZ, and 32°F in Ramona, CA. Meanwhile, warmth spread northward across the eastern U.S. By April 9, daily record highs surged to 79°F in Rochester, NY, and Erie, PA. Two days later in Florida, Fort Pierce posted a daily record tying high (92°F) for April 11. Late in the week, warmth made another significant surge—this time across the western and central U.S. By April 12, daily-record highs included 82°F in Ontario, OR; 81°F in Salt Lake City, UT; 78°F in Helena, MT; and 75°F in Casper, WY. Increasing winds accompanied the Western warmth, with peak gusts on the 12th in Nevada reaching 54 mph in Ely and Winnemucca. On April 13, 90 degree heat dotted the Plains, with daily-record highs soaring to 91°F in Huron, SD; Valentine, NE; and Concordia, KS.

14-20: Dry weather extended across portions of the nation’s mid-section, including the northern High Plains, as well as portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, and the northern panhandle of Texas. Warmth covered much of the country, with weekly temperatures averaging some 5 to 10°F above normal from eastern sections of the central and southern Plains to middle and southern Atlantic States, excluding Florida’s peninsula. The warmest weather, relative to normal, prevailed in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, as well as the central and southern Appalachians. In contrast, cooler-than-normal conditions were largely limited to the nation’s northern tier, mainly across northern sections of the Rockies and High Plains. As the week progressed, markedly cooler air overspread the Plains, Midwest, and Northwest. As the week began, record-setting heat in advance of a cold front spread from the Plains into the Midwest. On April 14, daily record highs in Oklahoma soared to 96°F in Gage and 94°F Hobart. On the same date, record-setting highs in Kansas reached 93°F in Wichita and 91°F in Concordia. In Iowa, daily record highs for the 14th included 88°F in Des Moines and 86°F in Lamoni. Warmth made another eastward shift on April 15, when daily-record highs surged to 90°F in Norfolk, VA; 88°F in Louisville, KY; 87°F in Huntington, WV; and 86°F in Evansville, IN. Huntington posted another daily-record high, 89°F, on April 16. By mid-week, chilly air arrived in the Northwest, where Olympia, WA, posted a daily-record low of 25°F. Additional Western daily-record lows included 17°F (on April 18) in Burns, OR, and 19°F (on April 20) in Miles City, MT. Farther south, maximum temperatures on April 20 remained below the 40-degree mark in locations such as Goodland, KS (high of 35°F), and Dubuque, IA (39°F). By Sunday morning, April 21, Dubuque logged a daily-record low of 24°F.

21-27: Warm weather in the West had contrasted with chilly conditions farther east, especially in the Midwest and Northeast. In fact, weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F below normal across large sections of the middle and northern Atlantic States, with cooler than-normal conditions extending westward into the Mississippi Valley. Freezes were broadly reported as far south as the Ohio Valley, central Appalachians, and middle Atlantic States, with scattered frost and light freezes reaching into the Tennessee Valley. (Earlier in the week, freezes had occurred throughout the northwestern half of the Plains.) In freeze-affected areas where fruits were blooming or winter wheat was heading, producers monitored crops for signs of injury. In contrast, temperatures averaged more than 5°F above normal in numerous locations across the Intermountain West, as well as the northern and central High Plains.

As the week began, chilly conditions covered the Midwest, where Dubuque, IA, notched a daily-record low (24°F) for April 21. Soon, cool air covered much of the remainder of the central and eastern U.S. By April 23, daily-record lows dipped to 40°F in McComb, MS, and 46°F in New Iberia, LA. Meanwhile, general warmth covered areas west of the Rockies, where Grand Junction, CO, collected a daily record-tying high of 85°F on April 22. During the second half of the week, a fresh surge of cool air covered the Great Lakes and Northeastern States. In Michigan, record-setting lows for April 25 included 20°F in Alpena and 26°F in Flint. In Maine, Augusta reported a freeze each calendar day from April 23-27, including a daily-record low of 26°F on the 25th. Elsewhere in Maine, record-setting minima for April 26 fell to 23°F in Bangor and 26°F in Portland. Montpelier, VT (22°F), also measured a daily-record low for April 26. Warmth returned, however, across the Deep South, where daily-record highs soared to 89°F (on April 26) in Baton Rouge, LA, and 98°F on April 27) in Del Rio, TX.

 

 

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