April weather: Wet and mild

COLUMBIA, Mo. – April is holding true to its promise of showers. So far, the month has been wet and mild.

“We’re running well above normal in the temperature category,” said Pat Guinan, climatologist for University of Missouri Extension’s Commercial Agriculture Program. “It’s also been a very wet month, especially across east central and southeastern Missouri.”

Average total precipitation for April is 4 inches, Guinan said. “Parts of Missouri have already seen their monthly average and we’re only halfway through the month.”

Thanks to all that rain, dry conditions in the Show-Me State have almost been eliminated, he said.

April has brought milder temperatures after record-breaking lows in March.

“Cape Girardeau on the morning of March 6 was down to minus 8 degrees,” Guinan said. “That set an all-time record low for the month of March.”

Precipitation in March saw a lot for some, and little for others.  Overall, the statewide average was a little over 3 inches. That’s right about normal, Guinan said.

“The heaviest precipitation totals were in southeastern Missouri. They had some big rains and even some snow,” Guinan said. “As you headed north, some of the north central and northeastern counties that border Iowa saw less than 1 inch of precipitation.”

As we finish out April and spring gets into full swing, Guinan reminds us that we are in peak severe weather season.

“We always need to be aware of severe weather potential,” Guinan said. About 70 percent of all documented tornadoes in Missouri have been during March through June. About half of the documented tornadoes in the state have been in April and May.

You should be aware of severe weather year-round, he says, but this is the peak season for storminess.

For more information, visit the Missouri Climate Center website at http://climate.missouri.edu.