DC's April Heat Sets 140-Year Record

Image (click to enlarge): April 1-7, 2010 average temperature in Washington, DC vs. 10 warmest Aprils since 1871; CapitalClimate chart from National Weather Service data, background image © Kevin Ambrose

National Weather Service data confirm that Washington's summer-like heat in the first week of April was unprecedented in 140 years of records dating back to 1871. Steve Zubrick of the NWS office in Sterling, VA has reported to CapitalClimate that the April 1-7 average temperature not only exceeded the modern record in 1981 by over 4°, but it also surpassed by over 2° the 65.4° average in the very warm early April of 1929. (The daily record highs of 94° and 93° on the 7th and 8th in 1929 still stand. Temperatures cooled considerably later in the month, however, and 1929 ended with an average of 57.6°, which is now only the 29th warmest April.)

In the records of Dulles Airport dating back only to 1962, this year's April 1-7 average of 67.7° smashed by over 7° the previous record of 60.4° in 1988.

It was also the warmest first week of April in Baltimore.

For detailed data, see the previous posts:

• DC Demolishes 80-Plus-Year April Heat Record
• Washington Continues on Pace to Record First Week of April
• No Fooling: Early April Temperature Record Predicted, Without Extremes

PM Update: DC Demolishes 80-Plus-Year April Heat Record

April 8, Midnight update: The midnight (1 am, EDT) lows:

Washington National 56°
Washington Dulles   56°
Baltimore/BWI       55° 

April 8, AM Update: This morning's low of 69° is 9° above the record warm minimum for April 8. In the unlikely event that this reading were to hold through the approach of a strong cold front this evening, it would tie the all-time April warm minimum on April 19, 1896.

Dulles Airport has already tied 1 and set 2 record warm minimums in the last 3 days:

April 5 51 (tie)
April 6 61 
April 7 65 

This morning's low of 67° is 14° above the current record of 53° set in 1983 and is 1° above the all-time April record warm minimum of 66° in 1977.

5 PM Update: Today's high of 90° brings the average for the first week of April up to 67.6°, over 4° above the old record. Other highs, including a new record by 7° at Dulles:

Washington Dulles   91° 
Baltimore/BWI       90° 

2 PM Update: As of 2:00, the highs are (new record at Dulles):

Washington National 88°
Washington Dulles   89° 
Baltimore/BWI       88° 

Original post:
Following a low of 63°, the Washington, DC noon temperature is now up to 79°. This clinches a record high average temperature for the first week of April since at least 1930, when records began at or near the current location of National Airport. With an expected high in the upper 80s, the average for April 1-7 will be close to a remarkable 4° above the previous record in 1981.

For previous history, see the earlier post below.

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Washington Continues on Pace to Record First Week of April

Washington DC temperatures continue on a pace to break the 80-year record for the first week of April with a reading of 80° at 2 pm today. Details below.

Other locations in the region at 80° or above:

Baltimore (BWI)   80
Hagerstown        80
Salisbury         80
Frederick         81
Manassas          81
Stafford          81
Fort Belvoir      81
Washington Dulles 81
Andrews AFB       82
Blacksburg        82
Culpeper          82
Leesburg          82
College Park      82
Charlottesville   84
Staunton          84
Fredericksburg    86  

Caribou Crushes Temperature Record 80s Widespread in Northern New England

Image (click to enlarge): High temperatures on April 3 in northern Vermont and northeastern New York, from National Weather Service

April 5 AM Update: Temperature records set or tied on Sunday, April 4: (old record and date in parentheses):

Caribou ME         73 (62, 1987)
Portland ME        76 (63, 1991)
Portland ME        46 (45, 1981) [warmest minimum]
Boston MA          77 (75, 1950)
Providence RI      76 (70, 1950)
LaGuardia Airpt NY 76 (75, 1974)
JFK Airpt NY       73 (69, 1997)
Islip NY           75 (66, 1997)
Bridgeport CT      68 (68, 1960) 

Additional report from April 3:

Worcester MA     76 (71, 1974) 

Original post:
The recent early April warmth in the eastern U.S. has extended well into northern New England this weekend. On Saturday, Caribou, Maine utterly demolished its daily temperature record for April 3 with a high of 82°. This smashed the old record of 58° by 24° and exceeded the long-term average by an astonishing 41°. For an equivalent low temperature record to be set, it would have to be as cold as 17° below zero. The low for the day of 43° was 2° above the normal high. Climate records at Caribou date back to 1939. Caribou followed this with a more modest reading of 73° today, breaking the 1987 record of 62°.

Also exceeding their records in northern New England and New York by a wide margin on April 3 were (old record and date in parentheses):

Houlton ME       78 (62, 1981)
Bangor ME        70 (62, 1967)
Concord NH       82 (74, 1981)
St. Johnsbury VT 83 (75, 1981)
Burlington VT    82 (73, 1981)
Massena NY       85 (72, 1981)
Montpelier VT    84 (71, 1981)  

Temperatures in the 80s were widespread over Vermont, northern New York, and into southern Canada, even at elevations over 1000 feet:

 VERMONT 

    RANDOLPH MESONET                       86
    NULHEGAN RAWS                          86
    HIGHGATE AIRPORT AWOS                  86
    EAST BERKSHIRE COOP                    86
    NORTHFIELD COOP                        85
    NORTH UNDERHILL                        85
    NORTH TROY                             85
    NEWPORT COOP                           85
    MORRISVILLE ASOS                       85
    ISLAND POND AIRPORT                    85
    DANBY RAWS                             85
    PASSUMPSIC                             84
    NEWBURY AOT                            84
    MONTPELIER KNAPP AIRPORT ASOS          84
    MARSHFIELD MESONET                     84
    EDEN COOP                              84
    CANAAN MESONET                         84
    BURKE MOUNTAIN                         84
    BETHEL COOP                            84
    WESTFORD                               83
    ST. JOHNSBURY ASOS                     83
    SAINT ALBANS COOP                      83
    RUTLAND COOP                           83
    ROCHESTER COOP                         83
    NASHVILLE 1 E                          83
    GALLUP MILLS NERON                     83
    ESSEX JUNCTION                         83
    WFO BURLINGTON VT                      82
    WEST PAWLET MESONET                    82
    SUTTON COOP                            82
    SUTTON 2NE COOP                        82
    RUTLAND AIRPORT AWOS                   82
    NEW HAVEN RIVER USGS                   82
    MT HOLLY MESONET                       82
    MILTON MESONET                         82
    MANCHESTER                             82
    LYNDON STATE COLLEGE                   82
    GEORGIA AOT                            82
    GEORGIA AOT                            82
    FAIRFAX MESONET                        82
    EAST CHARLESTON                        82
    WOODSTOCK COOP                         81
    WILLISTON AOT                          81
    UNDERHILL                              81
    SUNDERLAND                             81
    SUDBURY MESONET                        81
    NEWPORT AIRPORT ASOS                   81
    HINESBURG 2W                           81
    HANKSVILLE COOP                        81
    FERRISBURG                             81
    CHESTER                                81
    SOUTH LINCOLN COOP                     80
    RANDOLPH RAWS                          80
    CAVENDISH COOP                         80
 NORTHERN NEW YORK 
    MALONE COOP                            87
    OGDENSBERG AIRPORT ASOS                86
    SARANAC LAKE / ADIRONDACK ARPT ASOS    85
    MASSENA RICHARDS FIELD ASOS            85
    FORT DRUM                              85
    WANAKENA RNGR SCHOOL COOP              84
    MT VAN HOEVENBURG                      82
    LONG LAKE MESONET                      82
    KEENE                                  82
    ELLENBURG DEPOT                        82
    SCHROON LAKE                           81
    PERU                                   81
    NORTH CREEK (1030FT)                   81
    LOWVILLE                               81
    NORTH HEBRON (1100 FT)                 80  

No Fooling: Early April Temperature Record Predicted, Without Extremes

Date Forecast Actual
    Low High Low High
1        75   46  74
2    51  79   53  77
3    51  83   49  73
4    53  78   54  77
5    50  78   55  83
6    47  78   62  90 
7    48  75   63
Avg:  63.7     66.1 

Image (click to enlarge): April 1-7 average, record, and 2010 observed temperatures vs. record warmest and coldest years; CapitalClimate chart from National Weather Service data, background © Kevin Ambrose

April 7, AM Update: This morning's low of 63° is just 1° below both the average high for the date and the record warmest low temperature. A high today of 89° or higher will be enough to push the average for the first week of April 4° above the previous highest in at least the last 80 years.

April 6, Midnight Update: With the midnight temperature of 76° higher than last night's reading at the same time by 9°, the record high minimum of 64° for April 7 in 1942 appears to be in a world of hurt.

April 6, Evening Update: Today's high was 90°.
Dulles set a new record at 93°, beating the 86° in 2005.
Baltimore/BWI tied the record of 90°.

This is also the earliest date ever to reach 90° at Dulles, breaking the old record of April 16, 2002 by 10 days. It ties the all-time record high for April at Dulles on April 17, 2002.

April 6, 5 PM Update: The temperature is 90° as of 5 pm, just 2° short of the record. This pushes the average to at least 66.1°.

April 6, 2 PM Update: As of 2 pm, National Airport is reporting a high so far of 88°, which is inconsistent with the temperature on the hour of only 83°. Even assuming 83° for the high, the month-to-date average is now 2° above the previous record.

April 6, AM Update: This morning's low of 62° is only 1° below the long-term average high for April 6 and 15° above the original forecast from last Thursday.

April 5, Evening Update: The high was 83°, pushing the first-week average temperature over half a degree above the record. Record highs:

Washington Dulles 86° (83°, 1985)
Baltimore BWI     84° (83°, 1942/1928) 
Salisbury MD      82° (80°, 1985)
Blacksburg VA     82° (77°, 1999)
Danville VA       89° (88°, 1999)
Bluefield WV      81° (80°, 1988)
Beckley WV        78° (77°, 2005)
Georgetown DE     83° (79°, 1956) 

Martinsburg WV (82°), Richmond VA (89°), Norfolk VA (88°), Raleigh NC (88°), New Bern NC (87°), Binghamton NY (75°) tied their records.

April 5, 4 PM Update: At 3 pm, Dulles broke its daily record for April 5 with a temperature of 84°; the old record was 83° in 1985. At 4 pm, it's up 2 more degrees to 86°. Baltimore (BWI) has at least tied its 1942 record of 83°.

April 5, PM Update: A wind shift to a more westerly direction (SSW) has popped the 2 pm temperature to 80°. The month-to-date average is now ahead of the 1981 record for the first week of April, with 80s likely again tomorrow and Wednesday.

April 5, AM Update: This morning's low was 55°. A high today of 78° or higher will push the month-to-date average above the 1981 record.

April 4, PM Update: Low 54°, high 77°, April average to date 62.9° (up 0.9°).

April 3, PM Update: Low 49°, high 73°, April average to date 62.0°.

April 2, PM Update: Today's high: 77°, average to date: 62.5°.

April 2, AM Update: This morning's low: 53°.

PM Update: Today's high was 74°, giving an average so far of 60°. Tomorrow's forecast is updated to 80°. Elsewhere in the area, Dulles was 79° and BWI was 73°.

Original post:
Following a cooler than average winter, March temperatures rebounded sharply in the Washington, DC area, finishing the month 4.7° above average. The first 7 days of April promise to be even balmier, with a potentially record-setting first week of the month. (Tip of the wind vane to Chuck Bell of WRC, Channel 4.)

After a morning low of 46° this morning, temperatures at mid day have now risen into the mid 60s toward a forecast high of around 75°. Temperatures are expected to warm further to the upper 70s and low 80s into the weekend.

As a transition month, April has seen its share of extremes in the Mid Atlantic, so what's the big deal? Sure, the average high for April 1 is only 61°, rising to 64° by the 7th, but the record high for today is 88°, set in 1978, and the record for tomorrow is 89°. The lowest record high in the first week of the month is 85° in 1956, and it was as high as 94° on the 7th in 1929.

What's significant here is the persistence of the unusual warmth. Since records began at the current location of National Airport in 1930, there have been only 3 times that the first week of April averaged warmer than 60°. The warmest was 63.5° in 1981. That month as a whole averaged 62.1°, the warmest April in Washington weather records dating back to 1870. Based on the current National Weather Service forecast, the average for April 1-7 this year would exceed 1981 at 63.7°.

How cold can it get in the first week of April? It was almost 20° colder in 1965, when April 1-7 overall averaged 43.9°. High temperatures were above 55° only once, reaching 66° on the 5th, and lows reached freezing or below 4 times.

Stay tuned as we track this potentially record-breaking week.

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