April 2024 Observations and Discussion

[james1976]

Mid 70s and sunny this weekend here in the TC. I'm ready for it.

Storms next week?

[Clinton]

Cool, windy and dry as a bone here today.  Some summer like temps and humidity will have me turning the AC on this weekend. 

[chescowxman]

Clouds and showers to close out the work week with the heaviest rain likely overnight tonight. Sun returns and cooler on Saturday before a nice warm up with temps into the mid 70's for the county next week. Longer term a return to below normal temps looks increasingly likely as we move into next weekend and toward the end of the month.

County records for today: High 89 West Chester (2013) / Low 20 Phoenixville (1921) / Rain 2.06" West Grove (1929) / Snow 18.5" Coatesville (1894)

[Timmy Supercell]

It's been on/off raining most of today, they were expecting a mid day clearing and a few supercells forming in eastern KY. 

Maybe it doesn't take much to get them going sometimes. 68-69 degrees and rain still coming down at almost 1pm. 

[Timmy Supercell]

They upgraded the wind category, and this area also includes me but barely..

[Iceresistance]

I recommend adding a new thread concerning THIS

[Stormy]

We had a chance of showers yesterday, but I wasn't really expecting anything more than a few hundredths at most. But some on and off showers traversed my area starting by 3:00 p.m. with brief downpours and barely pea-sized hail multiple times. Even heard some thunder a few times. Ended up getting 0.32" while my sister's place 2/3rd mile ne. got nearly a half inch as did another sister 7-8 miles se. I was going to plant some garden, but plans changed. A plenty chilly rain anyway. 

You're probably wondering why I mention siblings living here and there, and jfyi, I have 4 brothers and 4 sisters. And one brother's winter home may be @Tom's neighbor!? Not sure what his exact address is, though it's in Fountain Hills. 

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 56/46 there was 0.61” of rainfall (here in MBY I recorded 0.42”) The average windspeed was 11.4 MPH and the peak gust was 26 MPH out of the NW. There was no sunshine. For today the average H/L is 56/36 the record high of 82 was set in 1977 and the record low of 19 was set in 1939 and 1950. The most rainfall of 1.12” fell in 2019the most snowfall of 1.2” fell in 1989. The most on the ground was 3” in 2007. Last year the H/L was 77/59.

[chescowxman]

0.24" of rain so far since yesterday here in East Nantmeal. Might see another 0.25" or more if any thunderstorms pop up. Shower chances finally go away by Saturday PM and after a chilly Saturday we should see a nice warming trend get underway by Sunday and carry us into next week.

Chester County records for today: High 90 degrees Devault (1977) / Low 18 degrees Phoenixville (1921) / Rain 2.29" Kennett Square (1913) / Snow 3.0" Devault (1959)

[Tom]

2 hours ago, Stormy said:

We had a chance of showers yesterday, but I wasn't really expecting anything more than a few hundredths at most. But some on and off showers traversed my area starting by 3:00 p.m. with brief downpours and barely pea-sized hail multiple times. Even heard some thunder a few times. Ended up getting 0.32" while my sister's place 2/3rd mile ne. got nearly a half inch as did another sister 7-8 miles se. I was going to plant some garden, but plans changed. A plenty chilly rain anyway. 

You're probably wondering why I mention siblings living here and there, and jfyi, I have 4 brothers and 4 sisters. And one brother's winter home may be @Tom's neighbor!? Not sure what his exact address is, though it's in Fountain Hills. 

That would be neat to meet some new folks out here in FH...

[Tom]

Looks like some bonafide Spring weather heading for Chitown this weekend into next week...I see a string of 70's???  Although, that pesky "Pneumonia Front" is lurking for Sunday afternoon...I dreaded those Spring days where its soo nice outside for the 1st half of the day and in a matter of an hour you have to put your jacket on!  In the summer, however, it's a great reprieve from the humidity and HEAT.  Happy Friday Folks!

 

Oh ya, PHX hit 94F late in the afternoon...last year's 99F record was close...hope that it ain't a repeat summer this year.  My gut feeling is that the SW ridge will be close but not right overhead and more or less east into NM and W TX.  "Ring of Fire" pattern is gonna be a HOT HOT Theme in the summer months ahead.  

[Timmy Supercell]

It took 10 days to get this station back up and running..

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 57/45 there was 0.12” of rainfall the sun was out 22% of the time. It was a very windy day with the highest wind of 53 MPH out of the NW there were around 60,000 customers without power yesterday afternoon. For today the average H/L is 57/36 the record high of 80 was set in 1941and 2023 and the record low of 16 was set in 1957. The most rainfall of 1.09” fell in 1983 the most snowfall of 2.8” fell in 1962 the most on the ground was 1” on several years the last time was in 2007. Last year the H/L was that record high of 80 and a low of 56.

[westMJim]

We had a strong El Nino this past winter and it sure did show it. At Grand Rapids the mean for December 2023 was 38.3° that is a departure of +7.9° There was just 1.3” of snowfall. December 2023 was the 2^nd warmest on record and that 1.3” of snowfall was the 2^nd lowest for any December.  January had a mean of 27.1 that was a departure of +2.3° There was 31.3” of snowfall that mostly fell in a 12-day stretch. February seen a mean of 35.4 that was a departure of +8.8° and that was a new record for the month. The high on February 27^th of 73 set a new record high for any day of February at Grand Rapids it was the 1^st time it has reached 70 or better in February. March continued the mild side with a mean of 40.9 that is good for a departure of 5.2” of snowfall.

At the current time it looks like we will be heading towards a La Nina this winter. In the past, going back to 1950 there have been 5 years when we went from a strong or very strong El Nino to a La Nina during the summer season 1988. 1973, 1983. 1998. And 2016.  2024 with be the 6^th one. The summer of 1988 had many very hot days with 37 days of 90° or better the most ever at Grand Rapids  but with mostly dry air the nights were not that warm so the summer mean of 72.1° was +1.2 above the summer average of 70.9.  The summer of 1973 was also warmer than average with a mean of 71.6.. 1983 had a 3 month mean of 71.5 (+0.6). 1998 The summer of 1998 had a 3 month mean of 70.6 (-0.3). 2016 The summer of 2016 had a June, July, August mean of 72.7(+1.8) 4 of the 5 past times we went from El Nino to La Nina the summers were warmer than average.

As for the winter in the La Nina stage after a strong or very strong El Nino. The winter of 1973/74 had a December, January, February mean of 24.3°. snowfall for the season was just 64.4”. The winter of 1983/84 had a  winter mean of 23.4° For the season there was 71.4” of snowfall. The winter of 1988/89 had a winter mean of 25.8°. That season had a total of 62.2” of snowfall. The winter of 1998/99 had a winter mean of 28.6° snowfall for the season was 76.7”. December 2016 had a mild mean of 30.4° season had 60.7” of snowfall. The 30-year December, January, February mean at Grand Rapids is 27.3°. The average snowfall at Grand Rapids for the season is 77.6”. This past winter the winter mean was 33.6° and there was just 47.5” of snowfall of that 31.3” fell in January.  The past 5 times there was a strong El Nino to La Nina the summer mean was 71.7 or +0.8 and the winter after had a mean of 26.5 or -0.8.

[Naptownwx]

Tuesday is could be bad

[Andie]

High of 82 today. 
Partly cloudy, 20% chance rain.  

Tomorrow the same except 85*. 
It’s that time of year in Texas. 
Back into high 70’s for a week.  
20% chance of rain. 
I love May. 

[hawkstwelve]

We have reached up to a very hot feeling 88 degrees today, our highest temp since last October on the 2nd when we reached 92. We're going to be grilling, playing lawn games, and having a bonfire tonight. A little taste of summer in April!

[CentralNebWeather]

Looks like 85 was our high today. 85-90 tomorrow and Monday. Storms and rain Monday night through Tuesday. Cold rain/wet snow Wednesday night into Thursday. 

[Timmy Supercell]

59 and calm mid Spring evening. The wind finally died down, can't ask for a better evening for the time of year. High was 66 with WNW gusts to 20mph earlier.

Tomorrow is a high of 80! Can't remember if I already hit 80 once this year but we've gotten within a degree or two of that a few times for sure without checking..

[Clinton]

Warm and windy conditions have drought conditions worsening quickly over western MO and other parts of the Midwest.  Hopefully some rain is coming this week with a rather robust closed low that should crank out some big storms.  

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/soilmst/img/curr.w.anom.daily.gif

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday was 58/42 there was no rainfall, the sun was out 100% of the possible time. The average wind speed was 11.3 MPH and the peak gust was 29 MPH out of the W. For today the average H/L is 57/37 the record high of 83 was set just last year. The record low of 21 was set in 1943 and 1953. The most rainfall of 1.07” fell in 1987 the most snowfall of 4.1” was in 2019 the most on the ground was a trace in several years. Last year had that record high of 83 and a low of 48.

[chescowxman]

Some great weather over the next few days although with the winds today might be a bit tough on some allergy sufferers. Looks like shower chances return by Wednesday and could last through the rest of the week! Our wet year continues!

Chester County Records for today: High 91 degrees Phoenixville (1941) / Low 21 degrees West Chester (1940) / Rain 2.28" Coatesville (1970) / Snow 2.5" Coatesville (1923)

[Hawkeye]

It's looking good for storms and heavy rain across Iowa Monday night/Tuesday.  I'm very much looking forward to this because I really haven't had a thunderstorm yet this year.

[Andie]

They adjusted our temps into the mid 80’s but otherwise no change. 20% chance rain, breezy.  
Gorgeous Baby!!!

 

[jcwxguy]

[Black Hole]

30 minutes ago, jcwxguy said:

This is looking more lame with time for me. Almost certainly not going to get in on the dry line activity during the day. Some weaker banded stuff may move in overnight but the severe weather threat looks low. I expect this to be dropped to marginal for Tulsa. 

[Timmy Supercell]

An overperformer I see.. got to 84 for a high. The forecast was 80-81 on a couple sources.

77 right now, with some light winds continuing but not as strong as they were this afternoon.

[jaster220]

I saw dandelions in bloom today, so I'm calling the snow season officially over. Nature had it right as usual. After the early arrival of Robins, there was only one brief snowfall in March that lasted a day or two on the ground. As expected in a stronger Nino, this winter featured mostly a mild regime overall. The most notable stat was that the missing month of January actually showed up (now of all times) yielding the snowiest month (31.7") for mby since the historic January back in 2014. Also, while the 53.1" total was the fourth consecutive BN winter for my locale, at 90% of avg, it was considerably better than the previous three lackluster winters.

The mentioned blooming "yard weeds" were actually down in Mt. Pleasant. Just 30 miles south, but it's like night and day the difference. They had mowed grass at their Panera last week and today's mid-70s with some trees already showing leaves and all the flowering trees in full bloom. Reminded me of April in Marshall. While here in the hills and forest lands of Harrison we finally have solid "green-up" of lawns as I look at my neighbors across the street, but only the early bulb flowers were up this week like daffodils and such. A few green buds on the bushes on the south facing rear of our place, and nothing yet on the trees out front. I'm sure this week's warmth will move things along a bit. Finally got my 70+ and really enjoyed to today - it felt great. 

As a footnote, driving home Friday evening during the Wind Advisory and heavy squalls with 37F on the car thermo it was hard not to realize that this would've been a really doozy of a bliz had it been cold enough. But, was yet another strong system wasted on the shoulder season timing as The Mitt continues its long wait for another wide-spread CAT-5 bliz or lore. 

As long-timers here know I am mostly active from pre-winter until early spring, and will pop in if something truly significant should arise during the warm months. I'm less of a severe wx geek the older I get (and there's just less of that to follow here tbh). If you don't hear from me for a while, enjoy your warm season everyone! I will be trying to find time for more golf.

[Anti Marine Layer]

California low that hit us this weekend could cause some trouble in Omaha by Tuesday.

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday was a very warm 76/47 there was no rainfall and there was 97% of possible sunshine. The average wind speed was 12.1MPH and the highest gust was 32 MPH out of the SW. For today the average H/L is 58/37 the record high of 84 was set in 2002 and 2003 the record low of 18 was set in 1943 the most rainfall of 1.40” was in 1991 the most snowfall of 4.0” was in 1919 that year also had the most on the ground with 3” Last  year the H/L was a warm 81/59.

[westMJim]

Some weather history for April 15 in southern Lower Michigan.

1943: Temperatures plunge into the teens as snowflakes swirl in the arctic winds. Record lows include 16 degrees at Muskegon and 18 degrees at Grand Rapids.

2002: Four days of record warm weather peaks across Lower Michigan with Grand Rapids hitting 86 degrees and Lansing 84.

2018: A late-season winter storm brought up to 4 inches of snow, 2 inches of sleet, and almost half an inch of icing along with strong winds across Lower Michigan from the 14th to the 17th. Almost half a million people lost power.

 2023, a period of anomalously warm early April conditions came to an end. High temperatures in the 80s set new records at Detroit, Flint, and Saginaw, on April 12, 13, 14, and 15. This was the second warmest start to April on record at Flint and Saginaw, behind 2010.

 2014, light snowfall, the last of the season, blanketed Southeast Michigan. Detroit and Flint received 3.2″ and 1.3″, setting a new record for the snowiest winter at each location. Detroit recorded 94.9″ for the 2013-2014 winter season while Flint finished with 83.9″. Saginaw would eventually finish the season at 60.3″, its 15th snowiest winter.

 1904, a two-day snowstorm ended in Saginaw. The storm left the city with 12.5 inches of snow.

 1976, the county of Midland was hit by an F1 tornado at 3:30 PM causing $25,000 in property damage.

Elsewhere across the US

1927, The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 continued to rage. Tremendous rains all over the Mississippi River Valley during the preceding autumn and winter sent floodwaters raging southward over a wide area. On this date, the government levee at Dorena, MO collapsed. The surge of floodwater continued pushing downriver toward the Mississippi Delta, bursting more dams as it went. Also on this day, New Orleans saw 15 inches of rain in 18 hours. More than 4 feet of water covered parts of the city.

1998,  An F3 tornado hits downtown Nashville causing extensive damage but no loss of life. An additional 62 tornadoes touched down in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. These tornadoes caused 12 fatalities and approximately 120 injuries.

2000,  What a difference a day made (with the help of a strong cold front). Yesterday’s 86 degrees in Goodland, Kansas, tied the record high for the date. Today’s high of 29 degrees was also a date record high, but a record low high. It was a new record by 3 degrees. 

[tStacsh]

1 hour ago, westMJim said:

The official H/L yesterday was a very warm 76/47 there was no rainfall and there was 97% of possible sunshine. The average wind speed was 12.1MPH and the highest gust was 32 MPH out of the SW. For today the average H/L is 58/37 the record high of 84 was set in 2002 and 2003 the record low of 18 was set in 1943 the most rainfall of 1.40” was in 1991 the most snowfall of 4.0” was in 1919 that year also had the most on the ground with 3” Last  year the H/L was a warm 81/59.

My family went to the Whitecaps game last year on this date.   We were not used to 80 degree weather yet.  It was HOT in the sun.  

[Bryan1117]

15 hours ago, Anti Marine Layer said:

California low that hit us this weekend could cause some trouble in Omaha by Tuesday.

Tomorrow morning/ early afternoon could be interesting here in Eastern Nebraska... possible upgrade to enhanced risk on the table for tomorrow now as well per the NWS in Omaha/Valley. Sounds like all modes of severe weather are on the table too, nighttime or early morning tornadoes are possible which is concerning. 

This looks to be our first really good shot at getting widespread severe weather in quite a while... we desperately need the rain! 

[Timmy Supercell]

This is quite a development. Last night it was a generic t'storm risk almost not including my area. 

[CentralNebWeather]

Oh Boy. Could get really rough around here tonight. 

 

[CentralNebWeather]

Well, here it is. Might not be much sleep tonight. 

 

[gabel23]

8 minutes ago, CentralNebWeather said:

Well, here it is. Might not be much sleep tonight. 

 

One of the most unusual set ups that I can recall in a long time. Crazy to think we could see all modes of storms in the morning; right when buses will be out picking up kids. Not ideal for sure. 

[Hawkeye]

I am becoming increasingly concerned about my rain total.  A couple days ago, the GFS and Euro were suggesting up to four rounds of storms and a rain total possibly 2+".  Tonight's storms are gone and the Tuesday night rain is mostly gone.  Models are down to only one main round Tuesday afternoon, with maybe a thin second line.  There may be spots around here that get missed by the stronger cells and end up with only a half inch of rain.

[OttumwaSnomow]

Just now, Hawkeye said:

I am becoming increasingly concerned about my rain total.  A couple days ago, the GFS and Euro were suggesting up to four rounds of storms and a rain total possibly 2+".  Tonight's storms are gone and the Tuesday night rain is mostly gone.  Models are down to only one main round Tuesday afternoon, with maybe a thin second line.  There may be spots around here that get missed by the stronger cells and end up with only a half inch of rain.

Just not a good setup  for my area for good rain in more than a couple spots. Maybe a strip or stripe under a super cell.  Today i tilled the garden.  Craziest  hard  crust i ever saw from the days of sun and wind. But still mud underneath!! Deep soil  wetter here than further  west. Bone dry over along hwy 35.

[Clinton]

Not expecting much rain here overnight or tomorrow.  It's looking like Thursday may be my best shot.  I'm so tired of drought!