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Denver Climatological Preview - April 2010 |
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A Preview of Denver's April Weather - Something for Everyone
The good news is that sunshine and warmer temperatures are usually in abundance as the normal highs during the month move up from 57 degrees on the first to 65 degrees on the 30th. It is not unusual to have a number of days well into the 70's and the low 80's. We also see the normal lows move above freezing from 30 degrees at the start of the month to 39 degrees by the end. Temperature extremes can hit both ends of the spectrum with a record low of 2 degrees below zero on April 2, 1975 and a record high of 90 degrees on April 30, 1992. In terms of the extremes and severe weather we can see, at this time of year Denver can be hit from every direction with a wide variety of air masses. Cold can be brought on when Arctic air invades from the north and that can then team up with Pacific storms to produce snow. Thunderstorms can be generated when warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico moves into the area. Warmer temperatures and low humidity too can happen when warm, dry air from the desert southwest invade Colorado. For snow lovers, April still gives us a good chance of the white stuff for it is actually our third snowiest month. The snowiest April was in 1933 when we received 33.8 inches of snow during the month. Way back on April 22 - 23, 1885, Denver was hit with 23 inches of snow, the most for a 24 hour period in April. We are also reminded that we live on the wide open plains as it is our windiest month with an average speed of 10 miles per hour from the south. Typically we will have two thunderstorms in April and there is always the chance of severe thunderstorms which historically can include hail, severe damaging winds and / or tornadoes. April 2001 brought on a reminder of the potential for severe winter weather when on the 10th and 11th a storm produced blizzard like conditions and 10 inches of snow was dumped on the former Stapleton International Airport site. Across the metro area heavy snow was recorded including 18 inches in southeast Aurora with 5 foot drifts, 16 inches with 3 foot drifts in Parker, 10 inches in Lafayette, 9 in Westminster and 8 in Littleton. But, as is typical in Colorado, by the 12th the sun had come out and the snow melted away quickly. April showers are also common as was seen in 2007 when we set a 24 hour rain record. Between April 23rd and 24th of that year, 2.1 inches of rainfall was recorded at DIA obliterating the old record of 1.29 inches that was set way back in 1891. Further north here in Thornton we recorded a bit more precipitation over the same period with 2.32 inches of rain. Normally Denver receives 1.93 inches for the entire month! Were it not for that storm, the month would have been a very dry one as a mere 0.4 inches of rain fell otherwise in Thornton. While it actually occurred in March, we should also be reminded of the Holly tornado from three years that hit on March 28th. This storm brought Colorado's first tornado casualties since 1960 and serves as a stark reminder that severe weather can hit early in the year. Indeed, as we enter the severe weather season we would remind everyone that tornadoes have been recorded in nine months out of the year in Colorado. Further, statistics show that Adams County actually has the second most tornadoes of any county in the state (next to Weld). Granted most of those occur in the rural eastern portion of the county but it serves to illustrate the fact we live at the western edge of Tornado Alley and need to be aware of the danger. Looking Back - April 2009 The proverbial 'April showers' certainly arrived in Denver last year in the form of rain while snow lagged below normal. April is Denver's third snowiest month behind March and November and last year we recorded 7.4 inches at the official monitoring station at Denver International Airport. This was 1.7 inches below the normal of 9.1 inches. Thornton was pretty much on par with the official DIA measurements as we recorded 7.24 inches of snow. What we lacked in snowfall we more than made up for in terms of rainfall and melted snow precipitation. For the month we recorded 3.22 inches of precipitation - 1.29 inches above normal. Thornton was considerably wetter than DIA with 4.06 inches of precipitation. Most of the precipitation occurred during a three-day period from the 16th to the 18th when 2.45 inches was recorded at DIA, mostly in the form of rain. On the 17th alone 1.16 inches of precipitation was recorded eclipsing the previous 24 hour April precipitation record of 1.00 inch set in 1920. By contrast, Thornton recorded 3.06 inches during the three day time span and 1.86 inches on the 17th. Despite the seemingly good news, the month failed to finish even i n the 'top 10' wettest Aprils. In terms of temperature, the month finished slightly cooler than average. The average temperature was 45.9 degrees, 1.7 degrees below average for the month. Highs ranged from 79 degrees on the 23rd to a low of 16 on the 6th, neither of which were records. Thornton was right on par with what DIA experienced as our average monthly temperature was 46.2 degrees. Temperatures ranged from a high of 82.7 degrees on the 23rd down to 16.9 degrees on the 6th. Two thunderstorms were reported at DIA during the very wet period from the 16th to the 17th. On April 4th a peak wind gust of 63 mph was recorded which set a record for the month of April. The previous record was 62 mph recorded in 1986. Click here to view Thornton's April 2009 Climatology Report. April 2010 Outlook The National Weather Service 30-day outlook model forecasts slightly below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation for April 2010. For More Information Temperature Normals and Extremes for April Monthly Temperature, Rainfall and Snowfall Extremes for April
* Historical weather statistics gathered from the National Weather Service's Denver / Boulder forecast office data archives. |
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April marks a transition between winter and summer for most of the country but for Denver it is especially true as we can see a stunning variety of weather. The proverbial April showers are certainly a possibility for Denver. Snow? Tornadoes? Thunderstorms? You bet - all can happen! For good measure throw in a chance for hail and even dust storms and April gives every type of weather condition you could like - or hate. 
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