April’s wild weather

 

An April day along the C&O Canal

April is a changeable month in the nation’s capital as warmer, spring-like weather occurs more often as it wears on. However, that doesn’t mean April isn’t susceptible to bouts of chilly, March-like weather. Below are some recent examples in the nation’s capital.

2023: April 2023 finished tied for DC’s third warmest on record. More than half the month was warmer than average. The coolest temperature of the month was 40°. That provided Washingtonians with another April without frost inside I-495. April 2023 would have finished a drier than average month in the nation’s capital had it not been for the 1.53” of rain that occurred on April 28.

2020: This April became only the third cooler and wetter than average April in the nation’s capital this century. April 2020 had it all from June-like warmth, to March-like cold and severe weather. However, it will ultimately be remembered for being a cool and wet month. Measurable rainfall occurred in the nation’s capital on 14 of the first 27 days and that helped April 2020 finish as DC’s seventh wettest.

2017: April 2017 was DC’s warmest on record with an average temperature of 63.8°, over five degrees above the monthly average (58.2°). Monthly average temperatures are comprised of daily high and low temperatures. All but seven days that month were warmer than average. April 29 was also the last time Washingtonians experienced 90-degree heat during April, with a record-tying high temperature of 91°. Five of DC’s 10 warmest April’s have occurred just since 2010.

2007: DC had three consecutive days of below freezing temperatures from April 7 – 9. High temperatures never rose above the 40s from April 5 – 9. Collectively, with an average monthly temperature of 53.6°, this April finished as DC’s coldest since 1983 (53.3°). This was also the last time Washingtonians experienced a record low temperature during the month of April, as the low fell to 29° on April 8.

2002: A devastating severe weather outbreak in the Mid-Atlantic Region occurred on April 28. The state of Maryland experienced its strongest tornado on record when an F4 devastated the town of La Plata in Charles County. April 2002 also featured a rare heat wave in the nation’s capital with three consecutive days in the 90s from April 16 – 18. The high of 95° on April 17 tied DC’s record high for the entire month of April.

Is DC’s changeable April weather normal?

 

A pretty spring scene (Photo Credit: Susan Granzow)

The nation’s capital has seen some large swings in temperature during April. These large swings in temperature are common as the transition to warmer spring weather continues.

Despite the last four days being cooler than average, DC’s average April temperature is still nearly 2.5 degrees warmer than average. Washingtonians experienced two days with June-like highs in the low 80s.

Low temperatures also remained in the 60s on two days. A major change in DC’s weather pattern followed and DC had its coolest April temperature of 34° on April 9. While not record-setting, that was DC’s coolest April temperature since it was 33° on April 3, 2021. 

Four of the last 10 April’s rank among DC’s Top 10 warmest April’s, according to National Weather Service data. Washingtonians see an average of between three and four 80-degree April days.  There have been April’s (1997, 1998) without any 80-degree warmth, while the nation’s capital had as many as nine 80-degree April days in 2017.

April temperatures in the 90s and temperatures at or below freezing are rare. The nation’s capital averages one April day in the 90s roughly every three to four years with the last occurrence on April 29, 2017 (91°). The highest number of April 90-degree days Washingtonians have seen in recent decades was three in 2002. DC’s hottest April temperature over the last 30 years was 95° on April 17, 2002.

By comparison, the nation’s capital sees April temperatures at or below freezing roughly once every four to five years. The last time Washingtonians experienced a below freezing day was on April 2, 2021 (31°). The highest number of April days over the last 30 years DC residents had temperatures of 32° or colder was in 2016 (three). DC’s coldest April temperature over the last 30 years was 28° on April 10, 1997, according to the National Weather Service.

DC’s start to April 2025 has featured some very changeable weather. This pattern fits in with what is fairly typical this time of year.

Weather Quiz

 

A fine April day in Bethesda, Maryland

True or False.

 

Five of the 10 warmest April’s in the nation’s capital have occurred in the last 15 years.