April 2020 saw relatively normal temperatures and precipitation across the U.S., the first slightly-cooler-than-average month since November 2019, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
It was anything but an average month for severe weather: Hundreds of tornadoes raked the nation, including an outbreak of more than 140 tornadoes on April 12 and 13 that wrought a path of destruction from Texas to Maryland, killing more than 30 people. It was the deadliest tornado outbreak since April 2014.
Climate by the numbers
April 2020
The average April temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 50.9 degrees F (0.2 of a degree below average), which ranked in the middle third of the 126-year period of record. The month saw above-average warmth along the West Coast, Southwest and Gulf Coast. Florida had its sixth-warmest April on record.
The average precipitation for the month was 2.47 inches (0.05 of an inch below average), which ranked in the middle-third of the record. Record-breaking dryness was observed in parts of the Southwest and Mid-Mississippi Valley.
Year to date | January through April
The average U.S. temperature for the year to date (January through April, YTD) was 42.2 degrees F (3.0 degrees above average), ranking 10th-warmest in the climate record. Average precipitation for the YTD totaled 10.53 inches (1.06 inches above normal), which ranked in the wettest-third of the climate record.
An annotated map of the United States showing notable climate and weather events that occurred across the country during April 2020. For details, please visit http://bit.ly/USClimate202004.Download Image
Other notable climate events in April
- Alaska set a record low: Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska, had a record-low temperature of -20 degrees F on April 29. This was the first record low in more than 12 years and the latest in the season where a temperature of -20 degrees or colder has occurred.
- And, Colorado had record snow: By month’s end, Boulder, Colorado, recorded 152 inches of snow for the season. This breaks the city’s seasonal record of 143.2 inches set back in 1909.
April Around the Globe
April became the third month in a row to rank second-hottest on record for the globe after the year kicked off with the hottest January ever recorded in 141 years of record-keeping, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
It was also the second-warmest year to date (January through April), as Arctic sea ice continued its retreat.
Below are highlights from NOAA’s latest monthly global climate report:
Climate by the numbers
April 2020
The average global temperature in April was 1.91 degrees F (1.06 degrees C) above the 20th-century average, making April 2020 the second-hottest behind April 2016.
The eight warmest Aprils have all occurred since 2010, and April 2020 marked the 44th consecutive April above the 20th-century average.
Year to date | January through April
The global temperature from January through April was 2.05 degrees F (1.14 degrees C) above average, which is the second-hottest January-through-April period on record behind 2016.
Europe and Asia had their warmest year to date on record, while the Caribbean region and South America had their second warmest. No land or ocean areas had record-cold temperatures.
A map of the world noting some of the most significant weather and climate events that occurred during April 2020. For more details, see the bullets below in this story and at http://bit.ly/Global202004.Download Image
More notable climate events in the April report
- Ocean temperatures were historically hot: The global ocean surface temperature during April 2020 was 1.49 degrees F (0.83 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average. It was the highest April ocean temperature since global records began in 1880.
- Arctic sea ice was down substantially: Sea ice coverage for April 2020 was 6.5% below the 1981–2010 average and the fourth-smallest April extent on record for the Arctic.
Leave a Reply