April 2026 National Weather Summary
James Munley
NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
APRIL 2026
Mar. 29-Apr. 4: Cooler air gradually overspread the western U.S., although record-setting warmth was slow to depart the Southwest. As warmth shifted eastward, weekly temperatures averaged at least 10 to 20°F above normal from the southern Plains into the lower Great Lakes region, Ohio Valley, and middle Atlantic States. Near- or slightly below-normal temperatures were limited to parts of the nation’s northern tier, including northern Maine and an area stretching from the Pacific Northwest into the upper Great Lakes region. In late March, rampant heat lingered in the Southwest. March 29 featured daily-record highs in dozens of locations, including readings of 100°F in Palm Springs, CA, and Yuma, AZ. The Plains also remained unusually warm, with record-setting highs on March 29: 92°F in Hill City, KS, and 88°F in Broken Bow, NE. Warmth made an eastward surge on March 30, leading to daily-record highs reaching the 90-degree mark in Lincoln, NE; Topeka, KS; and St. Joseph, MO. On the last day of March, record-setting highs surged to 85°F in Carbondale, IL, and Huntington, WV. In contrast, cooler weather in the Northwest led to daily-record lows for March 31 in Washington locations such as Yakima (19°F) and Ellensburg (20°F). During the mid- to late-week period, warmth became focused across the South and East. April 1 featured daily-record highs in Austin, TX (93°F); Jackson, MS (87°F); and Wilmington, DE (85°F). Huntington, WV, topped the 80-degree mark each day from March 31 – April 4, including daily-record highs (88 and 87°F, respectively) on the 2nd and 4th. On April 4, a final surge of warmth across the East led to daily-record highs in locations such as St. Petersburg, FL (91°F); Anniston, AL (86°F); and Erie, PA (83°F).
Juneau’s snowy month was capped by a 7.1-inch accumulation on March 30-31. Meanwhile, McGrath experienced its coldest March since 1959; the monthly average temperature of -4.2°F was 16.1°F below normal. For the first time, all 31 March days in McGrath featured a minimum temperature of 0°F or below; the previous record of 29 such days was set in 1972.
5-11: Cold weather was mostly confined to the northern U.S., from the Dakotas eastward, while warmth dominated the West and gradually returned across the South. In the wake of late-season snowfall, weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F below normal from parts of the Dakotas to Lake Superior. Cooler-than-normal conditions also covered the lower Rio Grande Valley, mainly due to an increase in cloudiness and rainfall. However, warmth in the West broadly pushed weekly readings at least 5 to 10°F above normal, with above-normal temperatures extending eastward across portions of the central and southern Plains and into the middle Mississippi Valley. A continuation of general warmth seemed somewhat muted against a backdrop of historically high temperatures in recent weeks. Nevertheless, occasional daily record high temperatures were observed across the southern and western U.S. On April 5-6 in Oregon, the week began with consecutive daily-record highs in Salem (77 and 79°F), Portland (79°F both days), and Eugene (76 and 81°F). In central California, April 5 featured daily-record highs in San Rafael (87°F) and Livermore (86°F). In western Montana, Dillon tied a daily record on April 7 with a high of 70°F. Meanwhile, a surge of cold air into the Northeast led to record-setting lows for April 8 in Saranac Lake, NY (-3°F), and Montpelier, VT (14°F). A second cold wave late in the week resulted in a daily record low (13°F on April 10) in Aberdeen, SD. Farther south, however, warmth spread eastward from the Southwest during the second half of the week. Clayton, NM, collected a daily record-tying high of 83°F on April 10. Two days later, on the 12th, Arkansas locations such as Stuttgart (86°F) and El Dorado (85°F) notched daily-record highs.
Alaska’s long-running cold spell broke in early April, with near- or above-normal temperatures covering the state. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F above normal in parts of northern Alaska, with Utqiagvik notching a daily record high of 31°F on April 10. Alaskan precipitation was mostly light, except across portions of the state’s southern tier.
12: 18: Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 5°F below normal across portions of the Great Basin and Intermountain West. Conversely, readings averaged at least 10 to 15°F above normal from portions of the central and southern Plains into the northern and middle Atlantic States, including most of the Midwest. On April 18, sub-freezing temperatures occurred in most areas along and northwest of a line from the northwestern corner of Texas to central Wisconsin.
Widespread temperatures below 25°F were observed across the northwestern half of the Plains, with the greatest concern for freeze injury to winter wheat in already drought-affected sections of the central High Plains. Although few records were set during the cold snap, Big Piney, WY, achieved consecutive daily record lows (9 and 2°F, respectively) on April 17 and 18. North Platte, NE, notched a record-setting low (16°F) on April 18. Earlier, daily record-tying lows had been set on April 16 in Washington locations such as Olympia (27°F) and Quillayute (29°F), followed by record lows for April 17 in Elko, NV (10°F); Alturas, CA (13°F); and Klamath Falls, OR (14°F). However, warmth had a large footprint for much of the week in the central and eastern U.S. On April 12, record-setting temperatures extended as far north as Minnesota, where St. Cloud, MN (83°F), set a daily standard. On the Plains, April 13 featured daily-record highs in Concordia, KS (91°F), and Lincoln, NE (90°F). Warmth covered much of the Midwest on April 14, when daily-record highs soared to 88°F in Des Moines, IA, and Cape Girardeau, MO. By mid-week, some of the earliest 90-degree heat on record affected the middle Atlantic States. With a high of 90°F on April 15, Georgetown, DE, set a record for its earliest-ever high of 90°F or greater (previously, 94°F on April 17, 2002). Wilmington, DE (90°F on April 15), experienced its second-earliest 90-degree reading, behind only April 10, 2013. Similarly, Atlantic City, NJ (90°F on April 15) tied 1967 for its second-earliest 90-degree temperature, behind April 7, 2010. High temperatures topped the 90-degree mark on April 15, setting daily records, in Eastern locations such as Richmond, VA (93°F); Raleigh-Durham, NC (92°F); Baltimore, MD (91°F); Philadelphia, PA (91°F); and Newark, NJ (91°F). Identical readings occurred on April 16 in Raleigh-Durham (92°F), Baltimore (91°F), and Philadelphia (91°F). Late in the week, heat retreated into the Southeast, where Gainesville, FL, closed the week on April 17-18 with consecutive daily-record highs (91 and 92°F, respectively). Other Southeastern daily-record highs for the 18th included 94°F in Lumberton, NC, and 93°F in Florence, SC, and Savannah, GA.
19-25: Rain continued to bypass the central and southern High Plains, leaving rangeland, pastures, and winter wheat in desperate need of moisture, especially with the return of hot weather in the wake of a brief cold snap.
Early in the week, record-setting warmth briefly affected the Pacific Northwest. In western Washington, daily record highs for April 19 included 80°F in Quillayute and 74°F in Hoquiam. Two days later, record-breaking warmth overspread the nation’s mid-section, following a cool spell. Temperatures on the Plains largely peaked on April 21, when daily-record highs soared to 93°F in McCook, NE, and Hill City, KS. Two days earlier, on April 19, both McCook and Hill City had dipped to 22°F, as producers as far north as southwestern Nebraska monitored jointing winter wheat for signs of freeze injury. By April 22, early-season heat expanded across the western Corn Belt. In South Dakota, record-setting highs for the 22nd rose to 96°F in Pierre and 93°F in Aberdeen and Huron. In Minnesota, St. Cloud notched a daily record high of 87°F on April 22. Farther east, however, chilly conditions resulted in widespread Northeastern freezes on April 20-21. On those days, Allentown, PA, collected consecutive daily record lows (29 and 24°F, respectively). Freezes occurred on the 21st as far south as the middle Atlantic States, with potential adverse effects on blooming fruits such as apples, blueberries, cherries, grapes, and peaches. Producers as far north as western Michigan’s fruit belt closely monitored crops, as temperatures fell to near 20°F in colder spots. Northeastern daily-record lows for April 21 plunged to 12°F in Saranac Lake, NY; 18°F in Montpelier, VT; 19°F in Bangor, ME; 25°F in Martinsburg, WV; and 27°F at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Late in the week, chilly air arriving across the Northwest led to record-setting lows for April 25 in Big Piney, WY (9°F), and Pocatello, ID (15°F). Before this year, Pocatello’s latest reading of 15°F or below had occurred on April 21, 2008. Meanwhile in Montana, Havre’s maximum of 30°F on April 24 closely followed a pair of high temperatures (on April 21 and 22) reaching 80°F or higher. Cool, wet weather lingered early in the week across parts of southern and coastal Texas. Laredo, TX, received a daily-record rainfall of 1.09 inches on April 19 and—with a high of 54°F— reported its latest-ever maximum temperature below the 55-degree mark. Warmer-than-normal weather in the Aleutians and parts of southeastern Alaska contrasted with temperatures averaging at least 5°F below normal across much of the northern half of the state.
Apr. 26-May 2: Somewhat wetter weather brought drought relief to a few areas, mainly across the South, although conditions had deteriorated to the point where much more rain will be needed to fully revive pastures, improve streamflow, and boost pond and lake levels.
Farther west, little, if any, rain fell on the parched central and southern High Plains, maintaining major concerns for drought-stressed rangeland, pastures, and winter wheat. In the West, beneficial but spotty precipitation yielded to warmer, drier weather.
Cool air settled across much of the central and eastern U.S. In fact, weekly temperatures averaged 5 to 10°F below normal in portions of the middle Atlantic States and across the northern half of the Plains. Producers in freeze-affected areas of the Plains continued to monitor impacts on winter wheat that had reached at least the jointing stage of development. Late-week freezes also extended into the northern Corn Belt. Conversely, readings averaged as much as 5°F above normal in the Pacific Northwest, while a separate area of warmth prevailed along and near the Gulf Coast. Early-week warmth in the South contrasted with a lingering chill from the Pacific Northwest to the northern Plains. On April 26, Texarkana, AR, tallied a daily record-tying high of 90°F. The following day, record-setting highs for the 27th included 94°F in St. Petersburg, FL, and 93°F in Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX. Meanwhile in Montana, Cut Bank noted a high temperature of 28°F on April 26, the lowest on record for the date. Havre, MT, collected a daily record low of 15°F on the 27th. As chilly conditions expanded, lingering record-setting warmth was largely limited to Florida. For example, Jacksonville, FL, posted a daily record high of 95°F on April 29. Elsewhere in Florida, Vero Beach attained or surpassed the 90-degree mark each day from April 30 – May 2, and achieved daily-record highs (91 and 94°F, respectively) on the first and last days of the hot spell. Other record-setting highs in Florida for May 2 included 96°F in West Palm Beach and 95°F in Ft. Lauderdale. Farther north, however, Mobridge, SD, measured a record-setting low (22°F) for May 1. Soon, May 2 featured daily record lows in Rockford, IL (27°F), and South Bend, IN (28°F). Mild but unsettled weather dominated Alaska, with any pockets of below-normal temperatures limited to the south-central part of the state.
Jim Munley
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Twitter: @Munleyj
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