The Dual Nature of April

April average temperatures ranged from 2°F below normal to 6°F above normal.

The first half of April was cooler than normal for much of the Northeast. However, a milder second half of the month allowed April to average out to be warmer than normal for most areas, generally ranging from near normal to 6°F above normal. The greatest departures above normal were mostly in West Virginia. April average temperatures at the region’s 35 major sites ranged from 0.4°F above normal in Scranton and Allentown, PA, to 3.5°F above normal in Washington, D.C., with this April ranking among the 20 warmest for 24 of the sites.

This April was among the 20 warmest Aprils for 24 of the 35 major sites.

April precipitation ranged from 50% of normal to 200% of normal.

Similar to temperatures, conditions were quite different during the first half of the month compared to the second half. While the first half of April featured wet conditions for the Mid-Atlantic and many coastal areas, the precipitation turned off in many of those spots during the second half of the month. This led to variable precipitation amounts for April, ranging from 50% of normal to 200% of normal. This variability was also seen at the 35 major sites, with precipitation ranging from 49% of normal in Islip, NY, to 135% of normal in Charleston, WV. Twenty-three of the sites wrapped up the month on the dry side of normal, with this April ranking among the 20 driest for five sites and among the 20 wettest for two sites.

This April ranked among the 20 driest for five of the 35 major sites and among the 20 wettest for two of the sites.

April snowfall ranged from 8 inches below normal to 6 inches above normal.

Much of the Northeast saw below-normal snowfall for April, with the largest deficits of up to 8 inches in eastern West Virginia. However, some locations in New York and New England had a surplus of up to 6 inches, which mostly fell during the first half of the month. April snowfall at the 35 major sites ranged from 3.7 inches below normal in Burlington, VT, to 5.5 inches above normal in Worcester, MA, with 29 of the sites seeing a deficit. This April was the 14th least snowy for Binghamton and Buffalo, NY, but was the 18th snowiest for Worcester.

This April was the 14th least snowy for Binghamton and Buffalo, NY, but was the 18th snowiest for Worcester, MA.

The warmth of (the second half of) April could spill into May according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, which favors above-normal temperatures for May for the entire Northeast. However, for precipitation, the entire region falls into the equal chances category, meaning equal chances of below-, near-, or above-normal precipitation.

For May, equal chances of below-, near-, or above-normal precipitation were predicted, but the entire region is favored to average out to be warmer than normal. Click to enlarge.