April 2026 Observations and Discussion

[Tom]

Will April Showers bring May flowers???   I think many already across the Plains and Midwest have seen some May Flowers pop out and got scared from the cold a week ago.  Who's might  be welcoming in some April Fool's and Easter Weekend Snow?  Who's going to relish in warmth and storms???  I got a good feeling about a big change for the Southern Plains next week and especially around Easter weekend.   As we flip the calendar into April, I think @Andiemust have done a rain dance bc the chances for rain/storms are showing up on the 1st of April.  Is this a trend starter for whats coming down the piper???   I believe so.

Let's discuss as I believe this will be a very active month of weather.  Oh, for those of you across the north...Ya, Ol' Man Winter ain't letting go to quick just yet.  The models are all suggesting a -EPO that'll drive the troughs into the Intermountain West and eject out into the Plains setting the stage for some atmospheric Fireworks.

0z Euro...Good look for the CO Rockies...Let it Snow???

[summerrules]

warm and wet?

[westMJim]

April

As we approach April here is some weather history for April.  All records and reports are for Grand Rapids Michigan. On April 1^st the sun is up for 12 hours and 44 minutes by Apri 30^th the sun is up for 14hours and 4 minutes. For the month the average mean temperature is 47.6° the H/L starts out at 52/32 on the 1^st and by the 30^th it is 64/43. The average rainfall is 3.99” and the average snowfall is 2.0”

Here are some of the top 5 for April at Grand Rapids. Keep in mind that the official weather reporting location has moved several times over the years. In the early years up to 1910 the official weather station was at the Evening News office and that newspaper later became the Grand Rapids Press in 1913. In 1910 the official weather station moved to the post office, it stayed at the post office until March 29^th 1930 when it moved once again to the National Bank Building. In July 1939 it moved to the old airport on what is now Roger B. Chaffee Drive. And in 1963 it moved to the current airport location. So now to the top 5 over the years.

Warmest mean

1.       53.8 in 1915

2.       53.7 in 2010

3.       53.7 in 1896

4.       52.8 in 1955

5.       52.7 in 1921

Coldest mean

1.       37.6 in 1907

2.       39.6 in 1950

3.       39.8 in 1975

4.       40.1 in 2018

5.       40.4 in 1904

Wettest

1.       11.10” in 2013

2.       8.29” in 1909

3.       7.19” in 2011

4.       6.39” in 1999

5.       6.33” in 1947

Dryest

1.       0.39” in 1942

2.       0.77” in 2005

3.       0.77” in 1899

4.       0.85” in 1915

5.       0.98” in 1932

Snowest

1.       15.6” in 1961

2.       12.4” in 1982

3.       11.2” in 1926

4.       10.5” in 1952

5.       10.0” in 1975

Most snow on the ground

1.       10” in 1975

2.       9” in  1970

3.       7” in 1982

4.       7” in 1961

5.       6” in several years

The record high for any April day is 90 on April 29^th 1899, In 2^nd place is 88 Also on the 29^th in 1970,  in 1942 it reached 87 for 3^rd place and there are several years when it reached 86 in April. The record low for any April day is 3 on April 7^th 1982. It got down to 10 on April 3^rd 1965 down to 12 on April 5^th 1995, 13 on April 1^st and 3^rd 1954 and down to 14 on April 11^th in 1973.

We now will have to wait and see how April 2026 will play out.

 

[Clinton]

6 hours ago, Tom said:

Will April Showers bring May flowers???   I think many already across the Plains and Midwest have seen some May Flowers pop out and got scared from the cold a week ago.  Who's might  be welcoming in some April Fool's and Easter Weekend Snow?  Who's going to relish in warmth and storms???  I got a good feeling about a big change for the Southern Plains next week and especially around Easter weekend.   As we flip the calendar into April, I think @Andiemust have done a rain dance bc the chances for rain/storms are showing up on the 1st of April.  Is this a trend starter for whats coming down the piper???   I believe so.

Let's discuss as I believe this will be a very active month of weather.  Oh, for those of you across the north...Ya, Ol' Man Winter ain't letting go to quick just yet.  The models are all suggesting a -EPO that'll drive the troughs into the Intermountain West and eject out into the Plains setting the stage for some atmospheric Fireworks.

0z Euro...Good look for the CO Rockies...Let it Snow???

Man I hope they get some snow in the mountains.  It's been so hot and dry I can't imagine what fire season will be like.

[Clinton]

@jaster220 winter won't let ya be!

[jaster220]

17 minutes ago, Clinton said:

@jaster220 winter won't let ya be!

I have SIX dates of icings on my scorecard this winter so that look verbatim has certainly been a theme. Fortunately, the model threats are living on borrowed time here. Nothing in my grid nor even for Grayling that would support that Op map depiction. Now, my buddy up near Mackinaw that saw 40" two weeks ago, I doubt he's done with sig snows tbh. Better him than me. 

[Andie]

9 hours ago, Tom said:

Will April Showers bring May flowers???   I think many already across the Plains and Midwest have seen some May Flowers pop out and got scared from the cold a week ago.  Who's might  be welcoming in some April Fool's and Easter Weekend Snow?  Who's going to relish in warmth and storms???  I got a good feeling about a big change for the Southern Plains next week and especially around Easter weekend.   As we flip the calendar into April, I think @Andiemust have done a rain dance bc the chances for rain/storms are showing up on the 1st of April.  Is this a trend starter for whats coming down the piper???   I believe so.

Let's discuss as I believe this will be a very active month of weather.  Oh, for those of you across the north...Ya, Ol' Man Winter ain't letting go to quick just yet.  The models are all suggesting a -EPO that'll drive the troughs into the Intermountain West and eject out into the Plains setting the stage for some atmospheric Fireworks.

0z Euro...Good look for the CO Rockies...Let it Snow???

I’m counting on it Tom !!
We have a cloud cover this evening for the first time in a long time.  
Everyone is doing rain dances, sending smoke signals, cloud seeding and tent revivals to tempt the rain.   
It is SO dry.  
Allergies are off the hook and rain will wash the environment.

Let ‘er rain !!

[Tom]

This ain't no April Fools joke...but the models are hitting some of the areas that got hit by the big Blizzard a couple weeks ago with more white gold???

 

 

@Clinton and the lower lakes & midwest look to get soaked next week...

 

[Tom]

@Andie...Easter weekend is your time to take advantage of the active pattern...

[Hoosier]

2 hours ago, Tom said:

This ain't no April Fools joke...but the models are hitting some of the areas that got hit by the big Blizzard a couple weeks ago with more white gold???

 

 

@Clinton and the lower lakes & midwest look to get soaked next week...

 

Pretty good agreement on a wintry system somewhere in the Lakes.  Question is whether it will only be far northern or if will be farther south.

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Wednesday temps:

[Clinton]

4 hours ago, Tom said:

This ain't no April Fools joke...but the models are hitting some of the areas that got hit by the big Blizzard a couple weeks ago with more white gold???

 

 

@Clinton and the lower lakes & midwest look to get soaked next week...

 

So looking forward to it.  We have the fertilizer on the pastures and the grass looks primed and ready to go.

[Tom]

45 minutes ago, Clinton said:

So looking forward to it.  We have the fertilizer on the pastures and the grass looks primed and ready to go.

I meant to ask you or if I did in the past, I must have forgot...but are your cattle pasture raised and purely grass fed?

[james1976]

As much as I love snow I really dont want anymore this season. Im ready for warm temps. Id be down for thunderstorms though! We got 60s today and 70s tomorrow before heading back down to near normal later this week.

[jaster220]

5 hours ago, Hoosier said:

Pretty good agreement on a wintry system somewhere in the Lakes.  Question is whether it will only be far northern or if will be farther south.

My msn wx notifier showed its little blue snowflake icon so I hovered over it - saying 14-20" here Thursday  

[Hoosier]

10 minutes ago, jaster220 said:

My msn wx notifier showed its little blue snowflake icon so I hovered over it - saying 14-20" here Thursday  

I may take the under on that.

[Clinton]

3 hours ago, Tom said:

I meant to ask you or if I did in the past, I must have forgot...but are your cattle pasture raised and purely grass fed?

Yes they roam on about 600 acres.

[Hawkeye]

Models have beefed up the next week.  The ensemble averages are all showing 2+ inches across the region, from southeast half of Iowa and points south and east.  We need it.

[Hawkeye]

[PhiEaglesfan712]

 

[summerrules]

50 minutes ago, PhiEaglesfan712 said:

 

Imagine if we see a March 2012 style heatwave but in April instead this year. Of course unlikely, but certainly a warm look at this juncture.

[StormchaserChuck1]

In 2012 the warmth continued for April and May.  We are going to break 2012's record for warmest March nationally

[summerrules]

29 minutes ago, StormchaserChuck1 said:

In 2012 the warmth continued for April and May.  We are going to break 2012's record for warmest March nationally

It's funny because April 2012 was not very warm in Chicago. Matter of fact, March actually finished warmer than April that year lol.

[Hoosier]

27 minutes ago, summerrules said:

It's funny because April 2012 was not very warm in Chicago. Matter of fact, March actually finished warmer than April that year lol.

Right.  April + May combined was warm around here as shown on the map that Chuck posted.  But when you separate April and May, you see that April was average-ish around the Lakes.  Coming off of an insanely torchy March, that ended up being a big problem with damaging frosts/freezes in April.

 

[SE Nebraska wx]

Looks dry (again)

[PhiEaglesfan712]

3 hours ago, Hoosier said:

Right.  April + May combined was warm around here as shown on the map that Chuck posted.  But when you separate April and May, you see that April was average-ish around the Lakes.  Coming off of an insanely torchy March, that ended up being a big problem with damaging frosts/freezes in April.

 

Then, June was a bit like April, and July like March and May:
 

[Andie]

On 3/29/2026 at 8:06 AM, Tom said:

@Andie...Easter weekend is your time to take advantage of the active pattern...

GO BABY,GO !!!!!!!  
 

Woooooo!!

 

[Iceresistance]

Okay then

[Hoosier]

1 hour ago, PhiEaglesfan712 said:

Then, June was a bit like April, and July like March and May:
 

That summer of 2012 was wicked in the Midwest.  In some areas it was the worst drought since the Dust Bowl, and some areas had their hottest temps since the Dust Bowl.  Parts of IN/KY (in the worst drought areas) touched 110F... almost unheard of except in the Dust Bowl years.

[Andie]

That’s stunning. 

Let’s hope that Nino begins to surface this year. 
No floods, just rain. 

[SE Nebraska wx]

2 hours ago, Hoosier said:

That summer of 2012 was wicked in the Midwest.  In some areas it was the worst drought since the Dust Bowl, and some areas had their hottest temps since the Dust Bowl.  Parts of IN/KY (in the worst drought areas) touched 110F... almost unheard of except in the Dust Bowl years.

 

[SE Nebraska wx]

1 hour ago, Andie said:

That’s stunning. 

Let’s hope that Nino begins to surface this year. 
No floods, just rain. 

I think it's gonna get really ugly. 

[Hoosier]

20 minutes ago, SE Nebraska wx said:

 

It's going to be very interesting to see if the developing Nino can kneecap the heat as we get to summer.  There is a tendency toward cooler summers in the Midwest in Nino years (doesn't happen every time but pretty often).  But I feel like mother nature is sending up some signals that should maybe give some pause.  Cantore makes good points in that tweet.  

[Clinton]

Fridays severe threat looking better for the plains. 

[jaster220]

Non-stop T-storms overnight lasting hours. Strong rumbling & crashing thunder woke the household at least 5 times. Don't keep a rain gage but it was heavy rain like haven't seen in a long time. Hopefully, it means "green-up" that was stalled about 40 miles south of Harrison will be progressing up our way now! Golfing > snow shoveling. Plus those Robins need some relief. 

[gimmesnow]

Come on baby, verify for a sick weekend at Mount Bohemia. I have already been out on the lake jet skiing. I've always wanted to merge my two seasons. If I can have an 80 degree jet ski day and a powder snowboard day in the same week I will, well I don't know but it'll be pretty amazing.

[jaster220]

2 hours ago, gimmesnow said:

Come on baby, verify for a sick weekend at Mount Bohemia. I have already been out on the lake jet skiing. I've always wanted to merge my two seasons. If I can have an 80 degree jet ski day and a powder snowboard day in the same week I will, well I don't know but it'll be pretty amazing.

The way this March has been.. this is your shot at it!

[jaster220]

Hopefully, this trends warmer and/or north "just enough" to be another icing FAIL!

- Freezing Rain Wednesday Night and Thursday

Cold high pressure will build in for mid-week as Plains
cyclogenesis gets underway with sfc low tracking through Wisconsin
on Thursday. This will set up the northeast CWA for another icing
event. At this point it looks like icing of a quarter inch is
possible in Clare and Osceola Counties. Future trends in sfc low
strength and path will be monitored closely.

[jaster220]

A 40F degree gradient across the The Mitt right now, and 30 spread just from Harrison to less than 3 counties south (and this isn't lake MI shadow)

[Hoosier]

26 minutes ago, jaster220 said:

A 40F degree gradient across the The Mitt right now, and 30 spread just from Harrison to less than 3 counties south (and this isn't lake MI shadow)

Don't you wish you lived farther south in Michigan?