D.C.’s April Weather Roller Coaster

 

This month has featured a series of large temperature swings between February-like cold to warmth more typical of June in the Nation’s Capital.  However, the end result of such dramatic temperature swings is often a monthly average temperature that’s close to average.  Consequently, D.C.’s changeable weather this month could be forgotten going forward absent any temperature records.

Although today’s highs in the 80s and tomorrow’s highs near 80° are quite warm, they won’t be record-setting.  Starting April 22, all of D.C.’s record highs are at least 90° and remain that hot until October 11.  Highs of at least 80° today and tomorrow would give D.C. a monthly total of 6 days in the 80s.  That would be D.C.’s highest such total since there were 9 days in the 80s in April 2017 (D.C.’s warmest April on record).  The Nation’s Capital has averaged between 3 and 4 April days in the 80s dating back to the early 1990s. 

D.C.’s average daily high temperatures are at least 70° starting April 19.  That means D.C.’s expected highs in the 60s from Wednesday, April 27 through Saturday, April 30 will be below average.  Nine of the first 11 days of April were also cooler than average in the Nation’s Capital.  That was followed by an exceedingly warm stretch when D.C. had highs in the 80s on four of five days through April 16.  The coolest day of the month occurred on April 18 with a high/low of only 48°/40° and 0.91” of cold rain.  While a high temperature of 48° is more typical of President’s Day, Washington, D.C. has averaged approximately one April day with highs in the 40s during the last three decades.

Despite how streaky the weather has been this month, no 90° warmth has occurred in the Nation’s Capital.  Washingtonians have averaged one April day of 90° heat roughly every three to four years over the last 30 years.  However, none has occurred since 2017 and with none expected this month, that would mean at least six years will pass between occurrences.  That would be D.C.’s longest such stretch since seven years passed between 90° April heat in 1995 and 2002.  By comparison, temperatures at or below freezing during the month of April are relatively rare as well.  D.C. has averaged one April day with lows at or below freezing every two to three years with the last time having occurred on April 2, 2021 (31°).

With D.C.’s temperatures well-positioned to finish within 0.5° of average for the month, that would give the Nation’s Capital near average April temperatures in consecutive seasons for the first time in recent memory.  NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expects May 2022 to get off to a cooler than average start in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Notable April Severe Weather Outbreaks

 

April 27, 2011 Severe Weather Reports  (Source: NOAA)

 

Although more common later in the spring, D.C. Area residents have experienced some memorable April severe weather events in recent years.  A “severe” thunderstorm is defined as one that contains any of the following: hail 1”/+ in diameter; wind gusts of at least 58 mph; or a tornado.  Some recent severe weather outbreaks stand out.

2019:  The Mid-Atlantic Region had several days with severe weather in April 2019.  Nearly 60 tornadoes touched down on April 19 from Pennsylvania to Florida, with several reported in Virginia.  The closest to the Nation’s Capital was an EF-0 in Reston in Fairfax County, VA.  Fortunately, no fatalities were reported during this severe weather outbreak.

2017: Washingtonians saw two EF-0 tornadoes within D.C. city limits on April 6.  Tornadoes within the District of Columbia are exceptionally rare and these were the first since September 2001.  They were relatively weak with winds of only 70-75 mph and caused minor damage.  

2011: There were over 2,200 severe weather reports, including 492 tornadoes, across the central and eastern United States from April 25 - 28.  The busiest day was April 27, when more than half (292) of the tornadoes occurred.  According to NOAA, four of these tornadoes reached EF-5 status with sustained winds of greater than 200 mph.  That remains the highest daily total since the “Super Outbreak” of April 3-4, 1974.  Sadly, over 200 weather-related fatalities were reported on April 27 alone. Part of what made this outbreak so deadly was that a high percentage of the tornadoes occurred during the overnight hours when people weren’t awake to get the latest watches and warnings.

Also, from April 27-28, 2011, there were a total of 19 tornadoes in the D.C. Metro Region.  The strongest of these was an EF-2, with winds of 130 mph, in Rockingham and Shenandoah counties in Virginia.

2008: On April 20, there was a total of 12 tornadoes in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina.  The two closest to the Nation’s Capital occurred in Middletown, Virginia, and one that tracked from Charles to Prince George’s County in Maryland.  While there were no fatalities, D.C. had 1.40” of rain that helped make that April D.C.’s wettest (4.92”) since April 2000 (5.13”).

2002:  Longtime residents may recall that the 20^th anniversary of Maryland’s strongest tornado on record is fast approaching.  The town of La Plata in Charles County was devastated by an EF-5 tornado on April 28, 2002.  At the time, it was ranked an F4 tornado, but its winds of 260 mph would make it an EF-5 on the “Enhanced Fujita Scale” that replaced the Fujita Scale in 2007.

Weather Quiz

 

When was the last time accumulating snowfall occurred in the nation’s capital during the month of April?

A. 1990

B.  1997

C.  2007


D.  2018