Feeling More Like March as April Gets Underway

Despite the chilly start to April, the first full month of spring is underway in North America.  That follows March 2019, which featured diverse weather in the Nation’s Capital.  DC’s coldest temperature last month was 22° on March 6, while its warmest temperature was 79° on March 30.  No record high or low temperatures were set, but March 2019 ultimately finished with an average monthly temperature (combining daily high and low temperatures) of 46.8°.  That’s a relatively rare occurrence; the last time DC had a March that finished within 0.1° of average was 1998. 

March 2019 was a wetter than average month, with 4” of rain making it DC’s wettest March since 2015.  It was also the 11^th wetter than average month in the past year dating back to April 2018.  That’s helped create a rainfall surplus of 29.71” in the Nation’s Capital since April 1, 2018.  While not a record for the date, the 1.96” of rain that occurred on March 21 made for DC’s wettest March day since March 8, 1995 (1.97”).

April is an interesting weather month in the Nation’s Capital.  Daily average high/low temperatures range from 62°/42° on April 1 to 71°/52° on April 30.  DC’s hottest April temperature on record is 95°.  That’s occurred four times, most recently on April 17, 2002.  By comparison, DC’s coldest observed April temperature was 15° on April 1, 1923.  Temperatures of at least 90° are slightly more common in the Nation’s Capital than temperatures at or below freezing.  The last time Washingtonians experienced 90° heat in April was the record-tying high temperature of 91° on April 29, 2017. 

Meanwhile, the last time temperatures fell to at or below freezing in April was on April 8, 2007 (29°).  However, this morning’s unofficial low temperature of 34° was unusually chilly.  In fact, 34° is DC’s average low temperature on March 4!  April has been a warmer than average month in Washington, D.C. in 15 of the last 20 years.

While Washingtonians can expect to see an average of 3.06” of rain during April, 12 of the past 20 April’s have been drier than average.  Accumulating snowfall is exceedingly rare in the Nation’s Capital during April and hasn’t occurred since April 7, 1972 (0.6”).  DC’s snowiest April day on record remains April 1, 1924 (5.5”).

Last April was an unusual weather month in the Nation’s Capital, being the first cooler than average April since 2007.  It was also DC’s first wetter than average April since 2014.  According to NOAA, there is a 40% chance that April 2019 will be a warmer than average month in Washington, D.C., with an equal chance for above or below average rainfall.