A month of record-setting warmth

By Russell Russ

The month’s low temperature of 26 degrees was observed on April 13 and the high temperature of 88 degrees was observed on April 28. There were four days with record setting high temperatures. The high temperatures of 85 on April 25, 82 on April 26 and 87 on April 27 all broke old record highs for these dates. The high temperature of 88 on April 28 tied the record high for that date. The average mean temperature this month was 46.6 degrees, 3.7 degrees above normal. Over the last 78 years this was Norfolk’s eighth warmest April. April 2008 was the third warmest. The total precipitation recorded for the month was 3.18 inches, 1.17 inches below normal. There were three minor thunderstorms observed, one on April 3 and two separate ones on April 22. With only a trace of snowfall this month, we were 6.3 inches below normal for snowfall. For the year 2009, the total precipitation amount is now 11.7 inches, 4.83 inches below normal. The snowfall total for this same period is 56.9 inches, 9 inches below normal. The snowfall total for this winter season, October through April, is now at 78.9 inches, which is 11.9 inches below normal. Conditions were cooler and wetter than normal for the first half of the month, but it cleared out and warmed up to finish off the second half. The dry and warm weather briefly raised the forest fire danger level for a few days. Many people noticed that the grass greened up almost overnight on April 20. After four straight days of record setting warmth, April finished with freeze warnings being issued. In a span of about 13 hours, between the late afternoon of April 28 and the early morning of April 29, the temperature dropped from 88 degrees to 41 degrees. Good old New England weather. Weather observations are recorded at Norfolk’s National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2 SW, by the Great Mountain Forest Corporation.