The April showers are a little late this year as May begins with thunderstorms, after a fairly dry month.
Temperatures are expected to break out of the 60s today and Friday, creeping into the 80s, Aaron Tyburski, National Weather Service meteorologist, said.
April reached a high of 89 degrees by the middle of the month, causing people to break out their summer clothes - temporarily. By the end of the month, people brought out their winter coats again as it dipped to 30 degrees.
Article Photos
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette
Above, traffic travels single file down Washington Boulevard near Almond Street as resurfacing work continues Wednesday on the west lane. Residents of the region looking to get back outside after a cold snap should know meteorological forecasts project thunderstorms for the area.
Yet despite the almost 60-degree difference, on average, the month's temperatures ranged in the normal scale, Tyburski said.
The average high for the month was 62.7, which only was a degree above normal. A low of 37.4 was the average, which was a degree lower than normal.
"There was a warm stretch with temperatures above normal from the 14th through the 21st," Tyburski said. "A one-week period in the middle of the month, it was in the 70s to 80s. Other than that, it was the typical 50s and 60s for the month."
The last three days of the month started out at 30 degrees in the morning and there were eight days in the month that had freezing or below freezing temperatures, which is about average.
Having the extreme temperatures has not affected nature too much because growing season has not officially started.
While the nice weather started in March and April, Tyburski said he hoped not too many people planted flowers before growing season began because of the cold temperatures. Yet some things, like fruit tree blossoms coming out when the weather is nice, are beyond anyone's control.
A snowstorm dropped about 6 inches of snow on those in elevations more than 1,500 feet by April 22 and 23.
"It varied by area," Tyburski said. "I don't think Williamsport saw much on the ground."
But if people traveled north or northwest, they would have seen the snow.
"It's rather unusual," he said. "It was pretty late in April. It's not the latest snowstorm or the heaviest accumulation, but it's rare."
Last year during April, the area was being pounded by precipitation with 10.04 inches of rain falling.
"It was the start for a very wet year," Tyburski said. "We did see a lot in springtime as well."
Normal precipitation for April is 3.47 inches. This year, 1.85 inches of "liquid precipitation" fell.
"We've about 2 inches below normal," he said. "We're more monitoring for drought."
While it has been a dry year so far, nature has been using the leftovers from last year.
"January through April, it wasn't that much of a big deal," Tyburski said. "It was early in the year. There was no vegetation."
Because the lack of average rain happened when nothing really was growing, it was not much of a problem.
By March and April, leaves start appearing on trees, which suck up a lot of moisture. The leaves reduced the groundwater that was built up from last year.
"If it continues to be this dry in May, June and July, it would be more of an issue," he said.
However rain this week could help provide the leaves with something to drink.
Potentially severe thunderstorms are expected today and Friday as temperatures reach the low 80s, even though the past few days have been in the 60s.
"Warm and humid," he said. "Very much like the middle of summer."
The weekend will feature partly sunny skies with temperatures in the low 70s on Saturday and near 70 on Sunday.
"We're getting our rain out of the way, short-term," Tyburski said. "The weekend will be rather nice. Even Monday."
The farther out a forecast, the rougher the prediction, but temperatures look slightly below normal by the middle of May.
Precipitation for May looks normal, with equal chances of being above or below average.
"That should help with any possible droughts," he said.
The summer months look to be slightly above normal temperatures, with average precipitation again.
Just because temperatures are expected to be slightly above normal, it is likely there will be a stretch of warmer temperatures, thunderstorms that will cool down the area and dry periods, Tyburski said.
