April Came in Hot

The first half of April featured record- to near record-setting warmth for many parts of the Northeast. In fact, Huntington, Charleston, and Elkins, WV, and Pittsburgh, PA, had their warmest start to April on record. Precipitation was below normal in areas closer to the coast but abundant in interior locations, leading to a mix of drought deterioration and improvement across the region. Snowfall during the period was limited.

Northeast News

Drought Intensifies and Freeze Event Causes Damage in the Mid-Atlantic, New York
The U.S. Drought Monitor released on Thursday, April 23 showed drought and/or abnormally dry conditions expand in parts of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. These areas have seen limited precipitation, unusually warm temperatures, and reduced streamflow, groundwater levels, and soil moisture. Agricultural impacts have also been noted in West Virginia. The Mid-Atlantic states, along with parts of New York, also experienced a damaging freeze event earlier this week. Preliminary reports indicate significant crop losses in some areas.

Farther north, drought and abnormally conditions improved in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont due to beneficial precipitation, and in some places snowmelt, which boosted streamflow, groundwater levels, and soil moisture.

Severe drought expanded in West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania but was trimmed in Maine and New Hampshire.
Moderate drought spread in an area from West Virginia to southeastern New York but contracted in parts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
Abnormal dryness expanded in West Virginia, Maryland, southwestern Pennsylvania, and Delaware but was erased from northern parts of New Hampshire and Vermont.
Record-low seven-day streamflow was found along a path from West Virginia to New Jersey.
Groundwater levels were record low in several areas including southern Maryland, New Jersey, and southern Maine.
Dry conditions led to slow pasture growth and other agricultural impacts in West Virginia and caused several municipalities in Pennsylvania to enact burn bans.
The short-term outlooks for April 28-May 6 predict near- or above-normal precipitation and below- or near-normal temperatures for most of the Northeast, which could pause deterioration depending on precipitation amounts.

For more information, see the Northeast DEWS Dashboard (to see the full Northeast, click on the grayed-out Pennsylvania in the map in the top left) and the Northeast Drought Update. Submit drought impact reports via the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) page.

Website Highlights

Weather Station Data

Weather Station Data includes location-specific information, such as wind data, evapotranspiration, and daily almanacs.

CLIMOD 2 is a user-friendly website to find single-station and multi-station climate products for locations accross the country. For example, the Seasonal Ranking report produces a graph and table of extremes or other summaries for a specified period for each year.

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State & Regional Analyses

These provide several map types, regional climate summaries, snow survey data, and drought information.

The Monthly Maps offer a variety of monthly precipitation and temperature departure maps for any given month for the Northeast region or a selected state.

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Analyses for Industry

Analyses for Industry shows products the NRCC has created through partnerships with various industries.

The Apple Frost Risk page has maps and animations for Red Delicious, Empire, and McIntosh apples. The maps show accumulated chill, growing degree days, phenological stages, and kill probability.

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Webinars & Workshops

Webinars & Workshops provides recordings and presentations from the monthly webinar series, as well as information on past and upcoming workshops.

The Northeast Regional Climate Center hosts a monthly webinar series with NOAA affiliates to address timely weather topics.

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The Quarterly Outlooks are seasonal climate highlights and outlook for the upcoming season for the Eastern, Region, Great Lakes, and Gulf of Maine. Published in March, June, September and December.

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