A Wrap on April 2020

DC's Cool and Wet April Comes to a Close

The month of April has appropriately come to a very wet conclusion in the Nation’s Capital.  That’s helped push April 2020 into the Top 10 for DC’s wettest April’s.  Final monthly temperature and rainfall statistics are in and with 6.30” of rain, last month became DC’s 7^th wettest on record (dating back to 1871).  With the exception of the very warm first week, it’s also been a cool month in the DC Metro Area.

Although April 30 finished second with a total of 1.10”, DC’s wettest day this month occurred on April 13 with 2.33” at National Airport.  Not only was that a daily record, but it was also DC’s wettest April day in nearly six years, since April 30, 2014 (2.70”).  The last time DC had at least two days with 1”/+ of rain was in 2014 when there were three such days.  Meanwhile, it’s also been a very rainy month at Dulles Airport where an unofficial total of 5.56” of rain, making April 2020 the 6^th wettest on record there.

Temperatures this month have also been on the cool side.  While the month got off to a warm start with eight of April’s first nine days warmer than average, it was followed by a stretch of cooler than average weather on 16 of the following 21 days, including today.  The month was 1.6° cooler than average through April 28, but it would have finished significantly cooler had it not been for the warm start.  DC’s warmest April temperature was a June-like high of 81° on April 13.  However, that proved to be a mirage as Washingtonians experienced more days with highs in the 50s (nine) this month than in the 70s (six).  Average high temperatures in the Nation’s Capital during the month of April are never below 62°.

As it stands, April 2020 will become only the third cooler and wetter than average April in the Nation’s Capital since 2001.  In fact, there have been only four cooler and wetter than average April’s in Washington, D.C. during the last 30 years.  That helps illustrate how unusual this month’s weather has been in the DC Metro Area.  While there were consecutive wetter than average April’s in DC relatively recently in 2014-2015, there haven’t been consecutive cooler than average April’s since 1999-2000.  In fact, with the exception of 2018, every April from 2008 to 2019 was warmer than average.

DC’s 10 Wettest April’s (Source: National Weather Service)

1.  9.13” (1889)
2.  6.88” (1983)
3.  6.85” (1937)
4.  6.58” (1918)
5.  6.47” (2014)
6.  6.34” (1901)
7.  6.30” (2020)
8.  6.26” (1895)
9.  6.19” (1940) 
10.  6.10” (1929)

DC’s Coolest April’s

1.  47.1° (1874)
2.  48.0° (1875)
3.  48.4° (1907)
4.  49.7° (1904)
5.  50.3° (1881)
6.  50.6° (1901)
7.  50.8° (1940, 1882)
9.  50.9° (1898, 1884, 1883)

DC’s Wettest April Days

1.  3.21” (April 26, 1889)
2.  3.04” (April 14, 1970)
3.  2.74” (April 17, 1910)
4.  2.70” (April 30, 2014)
5.  2.41” (April 15, 2007; April 26, 1937)
7.  2.33” (April 13, 2020)
8.  2.28” (April 3, 1901)
9.  2.23” (April 6, 1889)
10.  2.17” (April 6, 1930)

Wettest April’s at Dulles Airport (weather records date back to 1960)

1.  7.41” (2014)
2.  7.35” (1973)
3.  7.24” (1983)
4.  6.22” (2008)
5.  5.62” (1993)
6.  5.56” (2020)
7.  5.21” (2011)
8.  5.06” (1990)
9.  5.04” (2004)
10.  5.01” (1984)