April ended on a cool note for the entire area with many recording high temperatures anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees below average. The severe weather threat in April was actually minimal compared to years past with one tornado touching down.

Looking at Huntsville’s monthly summary, along with the month ending cooler than average it also ended dry. Looking at the rainfall summary, Huntsville observed a little more than 3.5 inches of rain. Normally during the month, rainfall would be 4.86 inches, leading to a deficit of just over 1.30 inches for Huntsville.

The average temperature for April, combining the high and low temperatures, was 60.5 degrees. The normal for Huntsville is 62.9 degrees, meaning the area was 2.4 degrees cooler than normal. While it may seem like it could be the coolest April on record, in 1907 the average temperature for the month was 54.5 degrees.

Looking at a breakdown of the high temperatures in Huntsville, highs for the majority of the month were in fact below average. There were 12 days of above average compared to 18 days that were cooler than average. The warmest day was a tie between April 4 and 5 when the temperature warmed to 86 degrees. While the coolest day occurred on April 7th, on the 23rd, the high temperature was one degree shy of tying the record-low maximum temperature for the day which was 56 degrees.

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April Severe Weather Breakdown:

The Spring season, specifically April, is a peak time for severe weather to develop here in the Tennessee Valley. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Huntsville issued seven tornado warnings in April, which is seven more than what was issued last April. There were no tornado warnings issued last April. The seven tornado warnings that were issued this April came from April 1. When it comes to severe thunderstorm warnings, 14 were issued compared to the eight issued last year.

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So far this year, 16 tornadoes have tracked through our area; 13 of them in North Alabama and three in Tennessee. This tornado number is within the NWS of Huntsville’s forecast area. Of those 16, one tornado formed in the month of April. As a strong front pushed through the region, a rotating thunderstorm produced an EF3 tornado that tracked from northern Madison County into southern Lincoln County in Tennessee.

Preview Of May

The first week of May will start off on the cooler side across the area, with many forecast to see temperatures about 10 degrees below average. When looking at what we normally see, in Huntsville, during the month of May the average temperature is 71.3 degrees. The average temperature includes the combination of both low and high temperatures. The warmest May on record was in 1962 when the average temperature was 76.1 degrees.

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When it comes to precipitation, during the month Huntsville normally records 4.67 inches. This is typically what most locations here in Tennessee see in May. Normal precipitation totals range from 4.10 inches to nearly 4.70 inches.

The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has released its monthly temperature and precipitation outlook for the month of May. When looking at the temperature outlook for the coming month, the area is highlighted for the potential of cooler than average temperatures. The average for high temperature is 82.5 degrees and the average low temperature for the month is 60.2 degrees.

When looking at the forecast precipitation outlook from the CPC, the Tennessee Valley will have an equal chance of seeing either above or below-average rainfall for the month. Farther to the north, states like Illinois and Indiana have a better chance of experiencing drier than normal conditions. While North Alabama is located in the equal chance section, the rest of the state could observe wetter than normal conditions.

No matter what happens during the month of May, you can count on the Weather Authority to keep you updated!