April weather update

April weather update:

Rains continued to fall over the past week, especially in southwestern counties. Many areas have accumulated over 6 inches of precipitation so far this month. Lake Wilson (Murray County) has seen nearly 7 inches. In fact the southwestern counties with an average total over 4.30 inches are already in the top ten wettest Aprils in that part of the state. Yet more precipitation is expected on Saturday, and again on Sunday night and Monday before we close out the month on Tuesday.

Things I thought I would never see:

At some recent public meetings about climate change in Minnesota I was asked by members of the audience to describe some characteristic changes in weather and climate that I never thought I would see. After contemplating for a while I came up with a brief list:

A 100°F reading at Ada, MN on April 21, 1980, along with zero precipitation that month
80°F dew points in MN, starting in 1983
10” of rain in six hours at MSP, July 23, 1987
44 days of 90 F temperatures in the summer of 1988 in
110” of snowfall at Moorhead, MN 1996-1997
15.10” of rain at Hokah, MN August 19, 2007
23.86 inches of rain at Hokah, MN August, 2007
134°F Heat Index at Moorhead, MN July 19, 2011
121 mph straight line wind at Donaldson, MN, September 1, 2011
50.8” of snow in April at Duluth, MN (2013)
17.2” of snow at Dodge Center, May 1-2, 2013
60.21” inches of precipitation at Harmony in 2018

I am sure there were more surprises than listed here, but not room enough for all of them. Perhaps you too recall some total surprises in your own Minnesota experience.

Weekly Weather Potpourri:

For those interested in wind climatology around the USA NOAA has a Map Viewer which will depict average wind speed by month and plot it on a map. You can even access historical data to view.

Cyclone Kenneth made landfall on Mozambique this week. It is one of the strongest storms on record to hit that country and the continuing rainfall could bring catastrophic flooding over the coming days. Elsewhere in the Southern Indian Ocean Cyclone Lorna was churning away east of Diego Garcia, but expected to remain out to sea.

Ireland, Southwestern England, and Wales were bracing for Storm Hannah to arrive this Friday and Saturday. The storm is a deep Atlantic low pressure system with winds over 60 mph, large seas, and heavy rains.

MPR listener question:

With all of the heavy rains we have been having in Minnesota this month, I wondered what is the record amount for one day in April?

Answer:

On today’s date (April 26) in 1954 it rained 6.90 inches at Morris, which is the most recorded for a single day in April. Naturally there was flooding that day as well. The all-time wettest months of April in Minnesota were in 1896 and 2001 when over 5 inches occurred in most places.

Twin Cities Almanac for April 26th:

The average MSP high temperature for this date is 63 degrees F (plus or minus 11 degrees F standard deviation), while the average low is 42 degrees F (plus or minus 8 degrees F standard deviation).

MSP Local Records for April 26th:

MSP weather records for this date include: highest daily maximum temperature of 85 degrees F in 1970; lowest daily maximum temperature of 32 degrees F in 1950; lowest daily minimum temperature is 26 degrees F in 1950; highest daily minimum temperature of 60 degrees F in 1990; record precipitation of 1.46 inches in 2011; and there was a record 3.0 inches of snowfall in 1893.

Average dew point for April 26th is 36 degrees F, with a maximum of 61 degrees F in 1990 and a minimum of 6 degrees F in 1933.

All-time state records for April 26th:

The state record high temperature for this date is 94 degrees F Marshall (Lyon County) in 1962. The state record low temperature for this date is 8 degrees F at Embarrass (St Louis County) in 2002. State record precipitation for this date is 6.90 inches at Morris (Stevens County) in 1954; and record snowfall is 16.0 inches at Pelican Rapids (Otter Tail County) in 2008.

Past Weather Features:

April 26, 1893 brought a late season snow storm that dropped 5 to 15 inches of snow across central portions of the state. Farmers had not yet started to plant because the month was so wet.


By far the warmest April 26th in state history was in 1962 when most communities saw afternoon temperatures climb into the 80s F, and at least a dozen climate stations reach 90 degrees F or higher.
Outlook:

Cool on Saturday with a chance for mixed precipitation across the southern half of the state. In the southeastern counties some significant snow is expect on Saturday morning. Drier on Sunday, but increasing cloudiness for Sunday night and Monday with a chance for more rain. Temperatures will remain cooler than normal, only gradually warming towards the end of the week.

Outlook:

Cool on Saturday with a chance for mixed precipitation across the southern half of the state. In the southeastern counties some significant snow is expect on Saturday morning.  Drier on Sunday, but increasing cloudiness for Sunday night and Monday with a chance for more rain.  Temperatures will remain cooler than normal, only gradually warming towards the end of the week.