Seattle could see a sunny April
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April in Seattle is starting off in the mid-60s, and the rest of the month could be warmer and drier than average, some forecasters say.
Why it matters: While warm spring days can bring relief to sun-starved residents of the Pacific Northwest, higher-than-average springtime temperatures can also cause earlier snowmelt, increased drought and longer allergy and wildfire seasons, per the state Department of Ecology.
Driving the news: While our temperatures early this week are higher than the average high of 56° this time of year, cooler days will follow, with rain and temperatures in the lower 50s expected Wednesday and Thursday, National Weather Service meteorologist Dustin Guy told Axios.
Yes, but: Some forecast models show an upper-level ridge of high pressure building over the region starting April 10 to 14 that could bring temperatures back up into the 65–70° range, said Michael Fagin, a forecaster for Pacific Northwest ski resorts.
- Guy said that the ridge may be part of the Climate Prediction Center's reason for the month's warmer-than-normal forecast, but, he cautioned, forecast models beyond 10 days are not always accurate.
By the numbers: The warmest April day ever recorded in Seattle was April 18, 2016, when it reached 89°, per Guy.
- The coldest daytime high was 42° on April 7, 1945, and the coldest overnight low was 29° on April 5, 1975, he said.
- Last month's highs and lows in Seattle swung from 28° on March 6 to a record-breaking 74° in Seattle on March 16, said Guy.
- Among 14 years with 70°-plus temperatures recorded in March, 11 were followed by warmer-than-normal Aprils, per the weather service.
What they're saying: Justin Shaw of Seattle Weather Blog is expecting — and even hoping for — a warm April, noting that the last two years at this time were "wickedly, brutally cold."
- The average temperature for April 2022 was 47.1°, 4.2° lower than the normal 51.3°. Last year, the average for April was 48.5°, he said.
- "We're due for a warm one," he said.