Weather Extremes

For the week of April 20-26, 273 weather records were tied or broken. Most of the extremes last week were cold records. There were 142 low temperature records and 64 low maximum temperature records. Only 17 warm records were reported. Although it’s the end of April, there were 32 snowfall records. The U.S. also recorded 18 precipitation extremes last week.

Very cold temperatures along with some record snows gripped the northwestern U.S. last week. On April 20, Anaconda, Mont., dipped to 5 degrees; Redmond, Ore., dropped to a record 12 degrees; and Butte posted a frigid 1 degree. The mercury fell below the zero mark on April 20 in Great Falls with a minus 1 degree reading.

Parts of Idaho also experienced extreme cold last week. It was 18 degrees at Challis on April 26; Stanley dropped to 6 degrees on that day; and Idaho Falls dipped to 21 degrees. On April 25, Wenatchee dropped to a record 32 degrees. In North Dakota, Williston recorded a chilly 14 degrees on April 23.

With the cold air over the West, low maximum records were widespread. On April 21, Coeur d’Alene only managed a high of 38 degrees. At Mullan Pass, the mercury reached a low maximum high of only 22 degrees.

Record snows were also found across the West last week. Six inches of snow was measured in Wisdom, Mont., on April 20. Spokane had 1.3 inches of snow on the 20th and 0.7 inches on the 21st. Coeur d’Alene saw 1.8 inches on the 21st. Significant snow totals were found in South Dakota on April 25. Huron and Mitchell each measured 11.2 inches, while Watertown picked up 19 inches. Grand Forks, N.D., recorded 4.8 inches of new snow.

High temperature records were substantially fewer last week when compared to early April. At Hattiesburg, Miss., it was 92 degrees on April 23. On April 26, Santa Ana, Calif., soared to a record 98 degrees.

Rainfall totals were substantial in Iowa and Virginia. On April 20, 3.35 inches fell in Richmond, Va., while 3.05 inches was measured at Waterloo, Iowa, on the 25th.