The trend of above normal rainfall continued in April as we finished the month with 4.03”, putting us 1.04” above the normal amount of 2.99.” This can be deceiving though, because the whole month was not a wash out. In fact, only 12 of the 30 days had any form of precipitation, and 3.75 of the 4.03 inches fell in just two days (2.89 on April 17th, and .86 on April 23rd). Needless to say, this still helped us go down as the 10th wettest January-April period in Waco history.
As far as the temperature goes, it was a month in which we transitioned from winter like temperatures (as cold as 37° on April 9) to more typical Texas Spring like temperatures, ending the month with a high of 86°. Overall we did end the month a little bit warmer than normal, which is the first time we can say that since November.
For many Central Texans, April means one thing, the start of Severe Weather Season. While we didn’t have an abundance of severe weather this April, we did have one memorable event, which occurred on April 23-24. We saw large hail and strong winds as a line of storms moved through Central Texas, damaging trees and property. There were reports of grapefruit size hail (hail with 4” diameter) just north of Cameron, in Milam County. While that is impressive, the wind caused the most havoc, with official wind speed reports of up to 87mph. While those are both at the high end of the spectrum of what we saw, there were still wide spread reports of golf ball size hail (hail with 1.75” diameter) and winds of at least 60mph all over Central Texas. Due to some of the damage caused, some people assumed there were Tornadoes, however there were no Tornadoes during this event. While we were lucky that there were no Tornadoes, the damage caused should be a testament to what straight line winds can do, and that those should be taken seriously as well.
I always like to end these recaps with a little look at what we might have in store for us in the near future. While there is debate among the scientific community on whether Spring time in Central Texas after an El Niño Winter leads to more or less Severe Weather, I think there is no proof of either. While we have had a slow start to the Severe Weather Season thus far, that doesn't mean it won't pick up, but there is also nothing showing that it definitely will pick up. That being said, it is always best to stay tuned, as we will keep you informed of any potential severe weather we might have. As far as our rainfall and temperature outlook. Models have the month of May being right at average for both our temperatures and rainfall, however they are showing that overall our summer might be a little bit cooler than normal and wetter than normal.
