April 2024 Overview – Midwestern Regional Climate Center

Temperature

The average April temperature for the Midwest was 51.5°F, which was 2.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal. Temperatures were 2-6°F above normal across the region, with the warmest anomalies across the eastern and southern Midwest (Figure 1). Statewide average temperatures ranged from 2.0°F above normal in Iowa to 3.7°F above normal in Ohio (Figure 2). Temperatures were notably warm across the Midwest mid-month. Long Prairie, Minnesota, a station with over 100 years of records, recorded a maximum temperature of 84°F on April 13, which was the warmest April temperature at that location since 2009. Des Moines, Iowa recorded a temperature of 88°F on April 14, the warmest April temperature since 2012. Terre Haute, Indiana, reported a temperature of 87°F on April 15, which was only the 10th time the temperature rose that high in April since 1875, and the first time since 1952. From April 14-17, Louisville, Kentucky, observed 4 consecutive days of temperatures at or above 85°F for only the 8th time in April since 1872. A handful of long-running stations in the eastern half of the region recorded a top 5 warmest April, including Louisville, Kentucky; Muskegon, Michigan; Detroit, Michigan; and Cleveland, Ohio (Figure 3).

Precipitation

April precipitation totaled 4.64 inches for the Midwest, which was 0.97 inches above normal, or 126 percent of normal (Figure 2). A wide swath of 5-10 inches of precipitation fell across most of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio (Figure 4). The rest of the region had about 2-5 inches of precipitation in April. Statewide precipitation totals ranged from 0.35 inches below normal in Kentucky to 2.24 inches above normal in Indiana. Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Toledo, Ohio, had their wettest April on record, measuring 7.39 inches and 7.94 inches, respectively. Numerous locations region-wide had a top 10 wettest April, including Vernon County, Missouri, which recorded 10.18 inches for the month (6th wettest since 1894) (Figure 5).

Drought

Regional drought improvement that began in March continued through April. The month started with about 62 percent of the region in drought or abnormally dry (Figure 6) and ended with about 34 percent affected (Figure 7). Iowa remained the most affected region, although drought severity lessened throughout the month. In the upper Midwest, drought conditions affected northern Minnesota, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and portions of Wisconsin. Across the lower Midwest, drought conditions were present in portions of Missouri, far southern Illinois, and extreme western Kentucky. Indiana and Ohio were completely free of drought or abnormal dryness by month’s end.

Severe Weather

An active pattern brought widespread severe wind, hail, and tornadoes to the Midwest on at least eight days in April, plus a few additional days with isolated severe weather (Figure 8). Over 35 tornadoes were confirmed April 1-2 stretching from Missouri to Ohio. Multiple waves of severe weather traversed the central Midwest April 16-18, causing damage from Iowa and Missouri eastward through Ohio. Over two dozen tornadoes were confirmed in western Iowa and Missouri on April 26-27, which was part of a larger outbreak that affected locations from Nebraska to Texas.