April 2024 came and went and to no surprise, it was another warm one.
March had record heat across the board, and while April wasn’t that hot, several locations had the top 10 warmest April’s on record.
The month started around average to above average temps but with bursts of wet weather a some snow! That’s right, there were some slushy accumulations in the first few days of the month.
Fire danger became an issue as things dried out. The best news was skies cleared up for the total eclipse on the 8th. Most of Northern Michigan had a great view of it. Then the rollercoaster ride started and things never got into a long streak of warmth or cold conditions.
We did see bursts of dry and warm conditions causing Fire Danger to spike. It was so dry during the middle of the month that Red Flag Warnings were issued. Every couple of days, a small system made its way through with a larger system every so often helping knock Fire Danger down. There was a round of showers and storms on the 23rd, followed by another small burst of snow. It wasn’t much but it was there once again. The last weekend of the month featured a line of showers and severe thunderstorms. Onekama was hardest hit with very large hail. The largest was 2″ in diameter! The damage to that area was extensive with houses and cars receiving the brunt of it. Fortunately, no one was injured.
Here are the official numbers for April: Gaylord was the highest above the average at more than 7 degrees. Gaylord was the 8th warmest on record, Pellston tied the 10th warmest, and Traverse City had its 7th warmest April on record.
Precipitation was above average with Alpena and Sault Ste. Marie both picking up an extra 2″+. It was a wet month for everyone and all that rain helped knock down our drought situation.
With all the warmth, it’s no surprise snowfall was lacking for everyone. It’s hard to believe so many places reported just a trace of snow.
If all things continue as is, May will end up warmer with more rain. We’ll have to wait and see how things go.
