April 2016 Climate Review

Overview and Graphics
Chicago and Rockford April Summary
Events

Overview and Graphics

April 2016 featured temperatures ranging from near normal inland, to below normal near Lake Michigan due to persistent onshore winds for much of the month. There were large week to week swings, with a very cool first half of the month, much warmer in general in the third week of the month, and a warm start but chilly and wet finish to the last week of the month. Most of the month had below normal precipitation, but did finish with a return to wetter conditions. Overall, most areas finished with near to below normal precipitation, with well below normal precipitation from Ford northward to LaSalle, Kendall and Grundy counties. There were several instances of snow and soft hail (graupel) squalls during the unseasonably cold first half of April.

April 2016 Review: Precipitation and Temperatures (click to enlarge)

Climate Maps are from the Midwest and Northeast Regional Climate Centers and Illinois State Water Survey

Chicago and Rockford April Summary

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
1050 AM CDT SUN MAY 1 2016

...A LOOK BACK AT THE CLIMATE FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2016 FOR
CHICAGO AND ROCKFORD...

AT CHICAGO...THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 57.4 DEGREES WHICH IS
1.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 38.1
DEGREES WHICH IS 0.7 OF A DEGREE BELOW NORMAL. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 47.8 DEGREES WHICH IS 1.1 DEGREES
BELOW NORMAL. DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL...2.80 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED WHICH IS 0.58 OF AN INCH BELOW NORMAL.
1.1 INCHES OF SNOW WAS RECORDED WHICH IS 0.1 OF AN INCH BELOW NORMAL.

NO RECORDS WERE SET FOR CHICAGO DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL 2016.

AT ROCKFORD...THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 59.9 DEGREES WHICH IS
0.8 OF A DEGREE BELOW NORMAL. THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 38.7
DEGREES WHICH IS 0.6 OF A DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 49.3 DEGREES WHICH IS 0.1 OF A DEGREE
BELOW NORMAL. DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL...2.90 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED WHICH IS 0.45 OF AN INCH BELOW NORMAL.
0.4 OF AN INCH OF SNOW WAS RECORDED WHICH IS 0.5 OF AN INCH BELOW
NORMAL.

THERE WAS 1 RECORD SET FOR ROCKFORD FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2016...
* RECORD DAILY PRECIPITATION OF 1.08 INCHES ON THE 6TH...THIS BROKE
THE OLD RECORD OF 0.98 INCHES SET IN 1988.

$$

CM

Monthly Climate Report: Chicago | Rockford

Events

April 2, 2016: Strong winds and snow squalls
April 3, 2016: Impressive single day temperature change; 5th largest on record in Rockford
April 25, 2016: Hail in far northeast IL including to golf ball size in Wauconda in Lake County
NWS Chicago Past Events Page