Temperatures have been above normal this April in the Twin Cities. You might be saying "no way!". Yup, it’s true. Despite cool temperatures last Thursday through Sunday, our average monthly temperature this April is running 3.6 degrees above normal. I think some of us had unreasonable expectations for April warmth after witnessing the warmest March in Twin Cities history. March was an astounding 15.5 degrees above normal. Think of our April temperatures as a “market correction”. Looking ahead, cooler temperatures return for the next few days, but we should still end up with an average monthly temperature at least three degrees above normal.
The May temperature outlook doesn’t show a trend toward either cool or warm temperatures. Here’s the outlook, from the Climate Prediction Center
You can see that the best chance of above normal temperatures is over the southern states, with the upper midwest in the “EC” area. Put simply, NWS forecasters think that we have equal chances of above normal or below normal temperatures in May. We’ll see what happens. In the meantime, I’m happy that the grass is green and that golf is an option.
