April 2024 Observations and Discussion

[Tom]

16 minutes ago, Stormy said:

I wanted to comment about the weather on Tuesday, but I always get sidetracked in doing and looking at other things. Plus I was helping with storm cleanup for people from my church that evening. The first batch of showers Tuesday afternoon was heavier then it appeared on radar as PWATS were quite high, but I was in a gap between heavier cells of course. Still ended the first round with exactly 0.40". Then a short period of sunshine preceded an ominous shelf cloud from the last brief, intense line of storms. The sky looked greenish and I was out shooting video (with iPhone 15 Pro Max) and photos till the last second! But only 0.24" rain from that line with wind gust only around 43 mph and not as windy at my location as early in the afternoon. But had some decent hail with a few of the largest stones at 1" diameter. But 2 farms approximately 3-4 miles se. of me had buildings destroyed from a possible little spin up tornado or microburst? One building was totally flattened and the other farm had half of the roof gone among other damage. Total rainfall on Tuesday was only 0.64". 

 

The drought maps may be off for my location since we've had very good rains in Mar. and especially this month. Field tile lines are running since the heavy rains of early April and water is standing in roadside ditches after each rainfall. With today's rainfall I'm approaching 4" for the month. And it looks active again by late April.

You've done pretty well as has @OttumwaSnomow and this mornings rain is just adding to that theme today.  I fully anticipate this pattern to persist well into MAY which could be too much of a good thing?  Hope it doesn't get TOO wet for the planting season.

[hawkstwelve]

With the latest rainfall we have received, we are now 109% above average on YTD precip, currently standing at 5.2 inches. We are already approaching our normal rainfall for April - currently at 2.36 with the average being 3 inches. Most models show us getting another inch or so of precip over the next 10 days so we should end up above normal for April as well. Assuming that pans out, this will be our first above normal precip month since January.

On the temperature side, we are running at almost +7 on the month. This will be the ninth month in a row of above normal temperatures as our last below normal month was July of last year (-0.4). The closest we have had to a below normal month in that time span was January which came in at +0.3. Otherwise, we have been running anywhere between +2.3 to +13.4 for each month since last summer. And if it wasn't for last July's barely below normal departure, you'd have to go all the way back to March of 2023 to find a solidly below normal month (-7.5). In other words, we have been on quite the warm stretch for a while now.

[Bryan1117]

2 hours ago, Tom said:

It appears that the majority of the U.S. Cornbelt region will be blessed with a lot of moisture as we close out April.  @Clinton you should finally fill up that watering hole of yours!

 

After looking at the overnight radar loops, our KC peeps did fairly well I'd say...#trainingstorms

 

https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/current/mcview.phtml?prod=ictrad&java=script&mode=archive&frames=75&interval=10&year=2024&month=4&day=17&hour=22&minute=5

 

 

 

Fingers crossed this pans out, we are least getting some moisture this week here in Eastern Nebraska - however it hasn’t been enough to put any type of dent in this lingering drought. So far this week I am still under a half inch rain between two systems that were forecast to drop double or triple that amount.

Would be nice to close out April and start of May with some consistent moisture to turn things around.

[hawkstwelve]

1 minute ago, Bryan1117 said:

Fingers crossed this pans out, we are least getting some moisture this week here in Eastern Nebraska - however it hasn’t been enough to put any type of dent in this lingering drought. So far this week I am still under a half inch rain between two systems that were forecast to drop double or triple that amount.

Would be nice to close out April and start of May with some consistent moisture to turn things around.

Pretty crazy that over the course of the 160 miles between us you can go from just 57% of YTD precip (Omaha) to 109% of YTD precip (Sioux Falls). You've been awfully close to getting in on the action but storms seem to continuously crap the bed at the last second in your area. Sure hope you can get precip back on track soon!

[OttumwaSnomow]

3 hours ago, Stormy said:

I wanted to comment about the weather on Tuesday, but I always get sidetracked in doing and looking at other things. Plus I was helping with storm cleanup for people from my church that evening. The first batch of showers Tuesday afternoon was heavier then it appeared on radar as PWATS were quite high, but I was in a gap between heavier cells of course. Still ended the first round with exactly 0.40". Then a short period of sunshine preceded an ominous shelf cloud from the last brief intense line of storms. The sky looked greenish, and I was out shooting video (with iPhone 15 Pro Max) and photos till the last second! But only 0.24" rain from that line with wind gust only around 43 mph and not as windy at my location as early in the afternoon. But had some decent hail with a few of the largest stones at 1" diameter. But 2 farms approximately 3-4 miles se. of me had buildings destroyed from a possible little spin up tornado or microburst? One building was totally flattened and the other farm had half of the roof gone among other damage. Total rainfall on Tuesday was only 0.64". 

 

The drought maps may be off for my location since we've had very good rains in March, and especially this month. Field tile lines are running since the heavy rains of early April and water is standing in roadside ditches after each rainfall. With today's rainfall I'm approaching 4" for the month. And it looks active again by late April.

Just checked my weather station and I'm just over 4" for the month now, with over a third of an inch so far today.

It will be so nice to see my area off the dreaded  drought monitor  soon! I have a incredible  7 plus inches since March 1st. My ponds are almost  full!  Going  back to Dec 1st 2023 I am steadily running surpluses.  Except  for the pultry .14 in Feb.

[Clinton]

6 hours ago, Tom said:

It appears that the majority of the U.S. Cornbelt region will be blessed with a lot of moisture as we close out April.  @Clinton you should finally fill up that watering hole of yours!

 

After looking at the overnight radar loops, our KC peeps did fairly well I'd say...#trainingstorms

 

https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/current/mcview.phtml?prod=ictrad&java=script&mode=archive&frames=75&interval=10&year=2024&month=4&day=17&hour=22&minute=5

 

 

 

Another disappointment with rain here only .22 inches.   The rain just seems to find away to miss me.

[BDT]

4 hours ago, Bryan1117 said:

Fingers crossed this pans out, we are least getting some moisture this week here in Eastern Nebraska - however it hasn’t been enough to put any type of dent in this lingering drought. So far this week I am still under a half inch rain between two systems that were forecast to drop double or triple that amount.

Would be nice to close out April and start of May with some consistent moisture to turn things around.

I keep buying into the hype of "its finally going to storm" or "we will finally break this drought/curse" and am constantly disappointed. Crazy how storms consistently miss us and we will get .10" on the back end as it wraps up. Maybe some day it will change but doesnt seem anytime soon. My grass went from dormant to drought looking already.

[Bryan1117]

56 minutes ago, BDT said:

I keep buying into the hype of "its finally going to storm" or "we will finally break this drought/curse" and am constantly disappointed. Crazy how storms consistently miss us and we will get .10" on the back end as it wraps up. Maybe some day it will change but doesnt seem anytime soon. My grass went from dormant to drought looking already.

Having to water my yard every other day to keep it green during the month of April is crazy in this part of the country, however this is now the third spring in a row we have missed out on at least normal moisture… I am with you, we need a complete pattern change to bust this drought and I am not counting on it changing anytime soon.

[Hawkeye]

I got 0.36" of rain today, pretty close to the middle of the model range.  The grass is very lush and green.  Cedar Rapids has been downgraded from "extreme" drought to "severe".

[Stormy]

3 hours ago, Hawkeye said:

I got 0.36" of rain today, pretty close to the middle of the model range.  The grass is very lush and green.  Cedar Rapids has been downgraded from "extreme" drought to "severe".

I ended up with 0.42". It was much heavier to the south. The lawns are lush and green here as well. I mowed one lawn twice and another not once yet, but should.

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 55/47 there was 0.07” of rainfall the average wind speed was 5.4 MPH and the highest was 28 MPH out of the W. There was a reported 21% of possible sunshine. For today the average H/L is 59/39 the record high of 82 was set in 1985 the record low of 19 was set in 1897 the most rainfall of 1.89” fell in 1993 the most snowfall was 1.0” in 1953. Last   year the H/L was 57/31 and there was 0.16” of rainfall.

The overnight low and current temperature was(is) 41 with clear skies at this time. I recorded 0.09” of rainfall from yesterday at 7 AM to today at 7AM

[westMJim]

Some weather history for April 19 for Southern Lower Michigan

1957: Less than a week after record low temperatures in the teens, high temperatures are pushing 80 degrees across Lower Michigan. Muskegon went from 19 degrees on the 15th to a high of 79 on this date, a rise of 60 degrees in four days.

 1953, the temperature in Flint never rose above 35 degrees. This temperature was a record temperature, in that it was the lowest maximum temperature for that day. The next day, the record lowest maximum temperature for Flint was 34 degrees.

1927, A deadly tornado outbreak occurred across the central part of Illinois, killing 21 people. The first tornado touched down near Hardin, traveling northeast through Carrollton, then skimmed the south side of Springfield. At Carrollton, a teacher was killed as she held the door of the school shut, saving the lives of her students. The second tornado, peaking at estimated F4 intensity, touched down on the southeast side of Springfield, then moved to affect the towns of Riverton, Buffalo Hart, Chestnut, and Cornland. In Buffalo Hart, only three houses were left standing, while the northern half of Cornland was leveled. The tornado track was 65 miles, ending in Ford County

1986, A major storm system produced ten tornadoes in Texas. One of these tornadoes virtually annihilated the town of Sweetwater. The tornado struck at the unlikely time of 7:17 am. One person was killed, and 100 were injured.

[Timmy Supercell]

It was a matter of time before my luck ran dry. Still don't think I ended up with any t'storm with this latest event.

Might as well just assume a lot of them past I-75 break apart and become light showers with the events that bullseye around Paducah. Sometimes locations directly south of me will still get a storm and not me. I've seen I-64 also act as a weather barrier at times.

[chescowxman]

After yesterday's chilly day today will be another day with high temps running near 7 degrees below normal with readings in the upper 50's. We get back to near normal temps tomorrow before dropping back to the mid 50's on Sunday. We should see normal to below temps for much of the next 10 days or so. Some shower chances tonight and again by Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Chester County records for today: High 93 degrees in West Chester (1976) / Low 24 degrees at Coatesville (1904) / Rain 2.05" Coatesville (1943) / Snow 5.5" in Coatesville (1983)

[Andie]

Highs 71.  Low 62. 
Rain on and off throughout the weekend.  
Feels more like early Spring than April.  

[james1976]

I'm a bit late reporting but my weather station recorded 1.52" from this week's system. Pretty much right on with the models and forecast. Things are greening up nicely around the TC metro......although today was cold and windy with some snow showers. Only reached 37° today. Freeze Warning tonight! Yuck. I am more than ready for sustained spring weather.

[westMJim]

The flood of 2013.

January 2013 was a rather wet month with 4.01” of total precipitation.  February was snowy (33.1”) and wet (3.05”) while March was dryer with just 0.94” of precipitation. Then came April with 11.10” of rain and melted snow. That 11.10” is by far the wettest for any April. And is the 3rd wettest for any month at Grand Rapids. All that precipitation in January, February and April led to the big flood of April 2013.

West Michigan saw weeks of heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding and led the Grand River to crest at record levels.

Grand Rapids already had shattered its longstanding April rainfall record, but just crept into the top three wettest of any month of the year.

The No. 1 spot goes to June 1892, when 13.22 inches of rain fell. Second place   gs to September 1986, when 11.85 inches fell.

On April 21, in Comstock Park, the Grand River crested at 17.8 feet, 5.8 feet above the 12-foot flood stage while in Grand Rapids, the river rose to 21.85 feet, or 3.85 feet above the 18-foot flood stage. A storm deemed "catastrophic" that had the potential to drop 3 to 4 inches of rain had also barely missed the Grand Rapids area on the day that the water crested in the Grand River, so we kind of lucked out on that.

I work for the West Michigan Whitecaps and there were several home games during that flood. A large section on the north parking lot was flooded and the road along the river was closed. The only way in and out of the park was thru the secondary way under the overpass for US 131. On the east side of the ballpark there was water that was up to the top of the stop signs and during one game there were huge logs floating through the parking lot.

here is some video about the flood of 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee56qwN9wcs

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 51/42.  As has been the case many times this spring it was a windy day with the average wind of 15.3 MPH and the highest wind of 39 MPH out of the W. That wind made it feel much colder than that 51. There was a reported 0.12" of rainfall and the sun was out 94% of the time. For today the average H/L is now up to 60/39 the record high of 83 was set n 1987 and the record low of 13 was set in 1897. (good 4 digit lottery numbers for today) The most rain fall of 2.45" fell in 2000 the most snow fall of 0.4" fell in 1943 the most snow on the ground was a trace in 2013. Last year the H/L was 73/41 and there was 0.16" of rainfall.

[Clinton]

Cool temperatures this weekend hopefully I can avoid any frost Sunday morning as temps may dip into the mid 30s.  Later next week one of the stronger storms in this year's LRC will likely ignite a major sever weather outbreak across the middle of the country.  Models are already showing significant amounts of rain in my area but it's gonna have to show me it can actually happen here in the show me state before I get to excited. 

[chescowxman]

After some light rain overnight we are starting to see some sunshine across the area. It will be a few degrees below normal today with highs only in the low 60s. Sunshine the next few days with well below normal temps both tomorrow and Monday before we warm to near normal by Tuesday. Next shower chances arrive on Tuesday night.

Chester County wide records for today: High 91 at West Grove (1941) / Low 23 in Coatesville (1926) / Rain 1.99" in Phoenixville (1940) / Snow 5.0" West Chester (1983)

[Naptownwx]

 

Heads up. Could be an active stretch coming up.

[OttumwaSnomow]

6 hours ago, Clinton said:

Cool temperatures this weekend hopefully I can avoid any frost Sunday morning as temps may dip into the mid 30s.  Later next week one of the stronger storms in this year's LRC will likely ignite a major sever weather outbreak across the middle of the country.  Models are already showing significant amounts of rain in my area but it's gonna have to show me it can actually happen here in the show me state before I get to excited. 

Most of my 30 fruit trees in full bloom. Currently  its 41F at 1 pm. Dewpoint  is 27F and both will plummet  down tonight  i think my fruit is gone!

[Clinton]

2 hours ago, OttumwaSnomow said:

Most of my 30 fruit trees in full bloom. Currently  its 41F at 1 pm. Dewpoint  is 27F and both will plummet  down tonight  i think my fruit is gone!

Somehow my cherry trees survived a frost when they were blooming and are loaded with cherries, not sure how my apple trees will turn out though. 

[Andie]

Nice Spring rain today. 
Looks like a total of 2.6”.  
Quite a soaker.  

Glad I got the spring flowers planted.  With May often our stormy month we could come out with an abundance of riches this year.  

[Tom]

Happy Sunday all!  Not much going on here in the Valley of the Sun, albeit, we are certainly living up to it's famed name!  Nothing but sunshine and pristine blue skies.  It's both remarkable and admiring how nature can deliver days upon days of clear skies out here.  I'm looking out my patio deck window as the sun has just risen here (5:50am) and the winds are calm along with a very comfy 64F temp.  Could we hit 100F today?  It'll be a close one...after this mini Heat Wave, temps are to head BN for later in the week/weekend.  Not a bad Spring 10-day forecast.

 

 

 

 

[Clinton]

No frost here this morning as temps only dropped to around 40.  Lots of sun and a high in the low 60s today.

[Timmy Supercell]

Had 65/43 yesterday, and another low of 42 this morning. I'm really soaking up these crisp days while they last. 

End of April has another "heatwave" showing but hopefully coming with more t'storm chances.

[Hawkeye]

I covered several budding plants with multiple layers of protection.  The NWS lowered our low to 26º, but, fortunately, here in town we only dropped to about 30º, similar to the previous night.  Yesterday sucked, barely making it over 40º.  I'm ready for this stuff to be over.

[Tom]

@Clinton the storm pattern targeting the West this week and then into the Plains  really reminds me of the LRC's most noteworthy system (s).  The 0z GFS from last night showed a run what has resembled a "Fujiwhara Effect" as there are multiple troughs digging into the SW region/Cali.  I remember vividly these troughs delivering tremendous mountain Snows & Rain across Cali and the 4 corners.  As you opined, a big ticket Multi-day Severe Wx is certainly on deck...I foresee this continuing well into MAY and even early JUN.

[Clinton]

4 hours ago, Tom said:

@Clinton the storm pattern targeting the West this week and then into the Plains  really reminds me of the LRC's most noteworthy system (s).  The 0z GFS from last night showed a run what has resembled a "Fujiwhara Effect" as there are multiple troughs digging into the SW region/Cali.  I remember vividly these troughs delivering tremendous mountain Snows & Rain across Cali and the 4 corners.  As you opined, a big ticket Multi-day Severe Wx is certainly on deck...I foresee this continuing well into MAY and even early JUN.

I hope it brings the rainfall as there should be 2 big troughs digging down before the end of the month.  The SPC showing the severe risk later in the week.  Another trough should dig down on the 28th and 29th, both will have lots of Gulf moisture.

[chescowxman]

Mid to upper 30's across most of the county this AM. Today should be an unseasonably chilly late April day with temps likely not escaping the 40's in the higher spots of Chester County this afternoon. I suspect we will see some frost across lower elevations in the county tonight with dew points already well below freezing at this time and clearing skies overnight. Great weather for both Monday and Tuesday before shower chances on Wednesday. Another shot at some frost or even a freeze by Thursday AM again especially in elevations below 500 ft in the county.

Chester County wide records for today: High 90 degrees in both Coatesville and Phoenixville (1976) / Record Low 24 degrees at Coatesville (1928) / Rain 2.11" at Longwood Gardens (2012). Of note today is the earliest day without any measurable snow. The latest measurable snow here in Chester County PA was recorded in Glenmoore on May 2, 1963.

[Hawkeye]

Euro ensemble avg next 15 days.  That is what I want.... warm, stormy, wet.

[Andie]

67* today and Sunny. Humidity 37%.  Just an awesome day.  

Next week in the upper 70’s, sunny. Thunderstorms return Friday and the weekend. Just a terrific forecast for Texas right now. 

[gabel23]

1 hour ago, Hawkeye said:

Euro ensemble avg next 15 days.  That is what I want.... warm, stormy, wet.

Yes please! Glad to see both EURO and GFS showing a wet pattern upcoming. 

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 51/35 there was no rainfall. It was once again a rather windy day with the average wind speed of 11.1 MPH and a peak wind of 37 MPH out of the W. The sun was out 97% of the time. For today the average H/L is 61/40 the record high of 86 was set in 1980 the record low of 24 was set in 1950,1986 and 2020. The most rainfall of 1.72” was in 1999. The most snowfall of .01” was in 2015,2002 and 1984. Last year the H/L was 51/35.

With clear skies and light winds the overnight low here in MBY fell to 31 at the current time with clear skies it is 32

[Tom]

We just barely hit 100F late yesterday afternoon (4:43pm) ...1st Hundo of the year...avg is May 2nd, iirc.  Carbon copy today.  Happy freaking Monday!  

[Timmy Supercell]

We got to 29 this morning! Think the forecast was for 35. Not bad.

[Timmy Supercell]

16 hours ago, Hawkeye said:

Euro ensemble avg next 15 days.  That is what I want.... warm, stormy, wet.

While I want Charleston WV to dry out, I think my place can handle a little more than 1".

Bring on the storms!!

[Black Hole]

I posted a new thread for the coming multi day severe weather outbreak. 

[chescowxman]

Some lower elevation locations like Chester Springs (30.2) / Nottingham (27. and Warwick (29.1) fell below freezing while the relatively highers spots like East Nantmeal (34.3) and KMQS Airport (35.6) remained above freezing. The NWS has issued a frost advisory for tomorrow AM with the same lower elevation spots likely to see frost and or freezing temps. Tomorrow should be the only day this week that we see near normal high temperatures. Before a cold front crosses the area by Wednesday morning setting the stage for more frosty readings on both Thursday and Friday mornings.

Chester County records for today: High 92 degrees Phoenixville (1985) / Low 22 degrees in Coatesville (1922) / Rain 2.44" West Chester (1927) / Snow 1.1" in West Chester (1895)