Climatological Report (Monthly) Issued by NWS Grand Rapids, MI
000
CXUS53 KGRR 011759 CCA
CLMGRR
CLIMATE REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS, MI
113 PM EDT WED MAY 1 2013
...................................
...THE GRAND RAPIDS MI CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2013...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1892 TO 2013
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 90 04/29/1899
LOW 3 04/07/1982
HIGHEST 78 04/30 79 -1 74 04/15
LOWEST 22 04/03 21 1 28 04/29
04/02
AVG. MAXIMUM 53.5 58.2 -4.7 59.1
AVG. MINIMUM 35.7 37.7 -2.0 37.5
MEAN 44.6 48.0 -3.4 48.3
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.3 -0.3 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 9 8.6 0.4 7
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 8.29 1909
MINIMUM 0.39 1942
TOTALS 11.10R 3.35 7.75 3.09
DAILY AVG. 0.37 0.11 0.26 0.10
DAYS >= .01 18 12.7 5.3 11
DAYS >= .10 14 7.3 6.7 6
DAYS >= .50 7 1.9 5.1 3
DAYS >= 1.00 4 0.6 3.4 1
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 3.94 04/17 TO 04/18 04/15 TO 04/16
04/28 TO 04/28
04/10 TO 04/10
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 15.6 1961
24 HR TOTAL 9.8 04/02/1975 TO 04/03/1975
SNOW DEPTH 10 04/03/1975
TOTALS 0.7 1.8 -1.1 T
SINCE 7/1 66.0 74.9 -8.9 51.2
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= TRACE 8 2.0 6.0 2
DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.5 -0.5 0
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH T 04/20 0 MM
24 HR TOTAL 0.5 04/19 TO 04/19 04/28 TO 04/28
04/10 TO 04/10
04/10 TO 04/10
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 609 518 91 494
SINCE 7/1 6122 6205 -83 5094
COOLING TOTAL 3 7 -4 1
SINCE 1/1 3 8 -5 27
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/03/1946
LATEST 06/04/1945
EARLIEST 10/13
LATEST 05/02
.................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 11.6
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/199
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 39/110 DATE 04/17
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 47/240 DATE 04/19
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) 43
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.70
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 68
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 1
HEAVY RAIN 10 RAIN 14
LIGHT RAIN 18 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 2
LIGHT SNOW 7 SLEET 2
FOG 17 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 1
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
RECORDS...
THIS WAS THE WETTEST APRIL ON RECORD FOR GRAND RAPIDS WITH 11.10
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 8.29 INCHES REACHED
IN 1909.
SUMMARY...
APRIL OF 2013 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR EXTENSIVE FLOODING ACROSS THE
AREA. THE FLOODING RESULTED FROM HEAVY RAINFALL DURING THE MIDDLE OF
THE MONTH. THIS ALSO RESULTED IN APRIL 2013 BEING ONE OF THE WETTEST
MONTHS ON RECORD ACROSS THE AREA. MANY LOCATIONS HAD OVER TEN INCHES
OF RAIN. APRIL 2013 WAS ALSO COLDER THAN NORMAL. THIS WAS THE FIRST
TIME SINCE THE SUMMER OF 2004 THAT THREE OR MORE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS
WERE AT LEAST 2 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. SNOWFALL WAS WELL BELOW NORMAL
ACROSS THE AREA.
THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH WAS MOSTLY DRY AND COLDER THAN NORMAL.
THEN AROUND THE 7TH... A FRONTAL SYSTEM STALLED NEAR SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN. WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE THEN MOVED ALONG THE FRONT FOR THE
NEXT TWO WEEKS... WITH EACH BRINGING ANOTHER PERIOD OF RAIN.
MEASURABLE RAIN FELL EVERY DAY FROM THE 7TH THROUGH THE 19TH. THE
HEAVIEST RAINFALL FELL DURING TWO TIME PERIODS. THE FIRST WAS FROM
THE 10TH THROUGH THE 12TH. THE SECOND WAS FROM THE 17TH THROUGH THE
19TH. THREE TO FIVE INCHES OF RAIN FELL DURING THESE TIME PERIODS.
THE FIRST PERIOD OF HEAVY RAINFALL SATURATED THE GROUND AND BROUGHT
AREA RIVERS TO NEAR BANK FULL. THE SECOND PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN
CAUSED MANY RIVERS TO GO ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. THE GRAND RIVER IN GRAND
RAPIDS REACHED A RECORD HIGH STAGE OF 21.86 FEET LATE IN THE DAY ON
THE 21ST. EXTENSIVE FLOODING OCCURRED IN MANY COMMUNITIES ALONG THE
GRAND RIVER... SUCH AS LOWELL...COMSTOCK PARK AND GRANDVILLE.
STREETS... BUSINESSES AND HOMES WERE FLOODED AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE
OCCURRED. MANY ROADS WERE CLOSED FOR NEARLY A WEEK. THE FLOOD WALLS
IN DOWNTOWN GRAND RAPIDS PROTECTED THE DOWN TOWN AREA. THERE WAS NO
SEVERE WEATHER REPORTED WITH ANY OF THESE WAVES.
THERE WAS ADDITIONAL RAIN FROM THE 22ND THROUGH THE 25TH. THE MONTH
ENDED WITH AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS BRINGING FROM A QUARTER OF AN
INCH TO AN INCH OF RAIN ACROSS THE AREA. THESE STORMS PRODUCED
NUMEROUS REPORTS OF PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL.
WHILE MOST OF THE DAYS FROM THE FIRST THROUGH THE 26TH WERE COLDER
THAN NORMAL... THE LAST THREE DAYS OF THE MONTH FINALLY BROUGHT
TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL.
$$
WDM 63