Weather Vault: April 2012
Updated: April 16, 2013
Posted: 8:00 am 5/1/12
Updated: 5:30 pm 5/15/12
April of 2012 started the way that March of 2012 ended with breaking records. High temperatures the first three days set new record highs. The warm weather came to an end with a few rain showers on the 4th. The rain would be much needed as central Illinos was considered "abnormally dry."
We stayed dry through Easter weekend (the 7th and 8th) with fairly nice weather. The second week started with high fire danger and a bunch of sunshine. Those clear skies would lead to frosty starts on the 11th and 12th before a warmup on the afternoon of the 12th.
The 12th also came with the news that Illinois had slipped into a dought. The drought monitor showed a moderate drought from Bloomington to Decatur and areas to the west. The weekend of the 14th and 15th brought areas of rain, but most of it was near I-70 where 2 to 3 inches fell. The driest areas of Illinois only saw about an inch.
A few dry and warm days shaped up for the 16, 17, and 18 with cool mornings. Finally, on the 20th, some much needed rain arrived, but most of it missed the areas highlighted by the newest drought monitor. Rain would dodge the area for the following weekend (April 21st and April 22nd).
The last full week of April started off frosty with cold temperatures dripping to around the freezing point. However, a warm-up would start making Tuesday and Wednesday much warmer. Wednesday brought us a chance of severe weather but other than a few t-storm warnings and light wind damage, rain dodged the area.
Thursday was a nice, breezy spring day, but was likely the last completely dry day for some time. Friday brought chances of rain just in time for the Illinois Marathon 5K. Other than a few sprinkles, the race really wasn't affected too much. More rain fell Friday night (the 27th) and into Saturday Morning, but it ended before the race.
Areas along I-70 saw one more bout with severe weather on Saturday afternoon and evening, but no damage was reported. Sunday morning also saw some rain, bringing flash flood warnings to Macoupin and Montgomery Counties.
Here's a look at the averages for the month.
Around The Nation
The United States had the 3rd warmest April on record, with the center of the Nation having the near record warm Aprils. The average temperature was 55 degrees F, 3.6 degrees above the average. This came on the heels of the warmest March on record and helped 2012 get off to the warmest January-April period. Also, the 12 month period ending with April 2012 was the warmest 12 month period on record.
Nationwide, we were a bit below normal on rainfall with with national average being 2.23, which is 0.20 inches below the normal amount.
Around The World
April 2012 ended up being the 5th warmest on record for the globe. Temperatuers had an average of 57.87 degrees F, which is 1.17 degrees F warmer than the 20th central normal for April. For the land areas, the average temperature was 46.5 degrees F, which is 2.5 degrees above the normal, the 2nd warmest April on record. For the oceans, the average temperature was 60.9 degrees F.
You can see the entire NOAA report by clicking here.
You can see all the climate events by clicking on this link.
You can see the temperature anamolies by clicking on this link.
Updated: 5:30 pm 5/15/12
April of 2012 started the way that March of 2012 ended with breaking records. High temperatures the first three days set new record highs. The warm weather came to an end with a few rain showers on the 4th. The rain would be much needed as central Illinos was considered "abnormally dry."
We stayed dry through Easter weekend (the 7th and 8th) with fairly nice weather. The second week started with high fire danger and a bunch of sunshine. Those clear skies would lead to frosty starts on the 11th and 12th before a warmup on the afternoon of the 12th.
The 12th also came with the news that Illinois had slipped into a dought. The drought monitor showed a moderate drought from Bloomington to Decatur and areas to the west. The weekend of the 14th and 15th brought areas of rain, but most of it was near I-70 where 2 to 3 inches fell. The driest areas of Illinois only saw about an inch.
A few dry and warm days shaped up for the 16, 17, and 18 with cool mornings. Finally, on the 20th, some much needed rain arrived, but most of it missed the areas highlighted by the newest drought monitor. Rain would dodge the area for the following weekend (April 21st and April 22nd).
The last full week of April started off frosty with cold temperatures dripping to around the freezing point. However, a warm-up would start making Tuesday and Wednesday much warmer. Wednesday brought us a chance of severe weather but other than a few t-storm warnings and light wind damage, rain dodged the area.
Thursday was a nice, breezy spring day, but was likely the last completely dry day for some time. Friday brought chances of rain just in time for the Illinois Marathon 5K. Other than a few sprinkles, the race really wasn't affected too much. More rain fell Friday night (the 27th) and into Saturday Morning, but it ended before the race.
Areas along I-70 saw one more bout with severe weather on Saturday afternoon and evening, but no damage was reported. Sunday morning also saw some rain, bringing flash flood warnings to Macoupin and Montgomery Counties.
Here's a look at the averages for the month.
|
|
Maximum Temperatures | |
|
|
Normal |
April 2012 |
|
Champaign-Urbana |
62.8 |
65.9 |
|
Danville |
64.8 |
67.6 |
|
Decatur |
66.0 |
66.3 |
|
Effingham |
Not Listed |
68.2 |
|
Springfield |
64.6 |
69.2 |
|
|
Minimum Temperatures | |
|
|
Normal |
April 2012 |
|
Champaign-Urbana |
41.1 |
42.3 |
|
Danville |
42.1 |
42.8 |
|
Decatur |
42.9 |
43.6 |
|
Effingham |
Not Listed |
42.1 |
|
Springfield |
42.4 |
44.4 |
|
|
Average Temperatures | |
|
|
Normal |
April 2012 |
|
Champaign-Urbana |
52.0 |
54.1 |
|
Danville |
53.5 |
55.2 |
|
Decatur |
54.5 |
54.9 |
|
Effingham |
Not Listed |
55.2 |
|
Springfield |
53.5 |
56.8 |
|
|
Precipitation | |
|
|
Normal |
April 2012 |
|
Champaign-Urbana |
3.68 |
2.66 |
|
Danville |
3.98 |
1.94 |
|
Decatur |
3.67 |
2.92 |
|
Effingham |
Not Listed |
2.72 |
|
Springfield |
3.51 |
4.48 |
Around The Nation
The United States had the 3rd warmest April on record, with the center of the Nation having the near record warm Aprils. The average temperature was 55 degrees F, 3.6 degrees above the average. This came on the heels of the warmest March on record and helped 2012 get off to the warmest January-April period. Also, the 12 month period ending with April 2012 was the warmest 12 month period on record.
Nationwide, we were a bit below normal on rainfall with with national average being 2.23, which is 0.20 inches below the normal amount.
Around The World
April 2012 ended up being the 5th warmest on record for the globe. Temperatuers had an average of 57.87 degrees F, which is 1.17 degrees F warmer than the 20th central normal for April. For the land areas, the average temperature was 46.5 degrees F, which is 2.5 degrees above the normal, the 2nd warmest April on record. For the oceans, the average temperature was 60.9 degrees F.
You can see the entire NOAA report by clicking here.
You can see all the climate events by clicking on this link.
You can see the temperature anamolies by clicking on this link.
