April 2014 Monthly Climate Summary

...APRIL 2014 MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY...

Slightly below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation totals define the climate of April 2014 around the Mid-South. The month began and ended with some severe weather, providing precipitation that relieved northeast Mississippi from D1 drought conditions, down now to D0 drought conditions. Memphis was the warmest official site for the month with an average temperature of 62.0 degrees, a 0.9 degree departure below the normal of 62.9 degrees. Tupelo had an average temperature of 61.2 degrees, also a 0.9 degree departure below its April normal of 62.1 degrees. The April normal average temperature for Jackson is 60.0 degrees, and this April Jackson recorded 59.4 degrees, 0.6 degrees below normal. Jonesboro was the coolest official site for the month with an average temperature of 59.2 degrees, a 0.7 degree departure below the normal of 59.9 degrees.

All four sites topped 80.0 degrees this month, with Tupelo recording the highest temperature of the four sites all month with 85.0 degrees. Jackson recorded the coolest temperature as the only site achieving a temperature lower than 30.0 degrees with 29.0 degrees. So far for 2014 all official sites have below normal average temperatures, with Jonesboro as the coolest and having the greatest departure from normal at 42.6 degrees and -4.7 degrees, respectively. Memphis and Tupelo are tied for the warmest site so far in 2014, both sites having the same average temperature and departure from normal at 47.2 degrees and -3.7 degrees, respectively.

In addition to being the coolest official site for April, Jonesboro was also the wettest site with 6.98 inches of precipitation, 1.96 inches above the April normal of 5.02 inches. Tupelo was the second wettest site, which aided in the downgrading of D1 drought conditions into D0 drought conditions. Tupelo received 6.60 inches of precipitation for the month, 1.82 inches above the April normal of 4.78 inches. Memphis received 6.14 inches of precipitation in April, 0.64 inches below the normal of 5.50 inches. Jackson was the driest official site, receiving only 4.19 inches of precipitation for the month, a 0.67 inch departure below the normal of 4.86 inches, the only official site with a below normal precipitation total for April. The wettest two sites for April, Tupelo and Jonesboro, are actually the two driest of the four official sites for the year so far. Tupelo has only received 15.78 inches of precipitation in 2014, 3.26 inches below normal. Jonesboro has received 16.70 inches of precipitation this year, only 0.03 inches below normal. Jackson is the third driest with 18.19 inches of precipitation, which is 0.34 inches below normal, while Memphis is the wettest site for the year so far with 21.64 inches, 2.61 inches above normal.

TEMPERATURE DATA:

 Memphis    Jackson   Jonesboro   Tupelo

Average Temperature (MONTH)  :   62.0       59.4      59.2      61.2

Normal Avg. Temp (MONTH)     :   62.9       60.0      59.9      62.1

Departure from Normal (MONTH):   -0.9       -0.6      -0.7      -0.9

Average Temperature (YEAR)   :   47.2       44.0      42.6      47.2

Normal Avg. Temp (YEAR)      :   50.9       47.9      47.3     50.9

Departure from Normal (YEAR) :   -3.7       -3.9      -4.7      -3.7

Maximum Temperature          :   83.0       83.0      81.0      85.0

Minimum Temperature          :   36.0       29.0      33.0      31.0

PRECIPITATION DATA:

                                Memphis   Jackson   Jonesboro   Tupelo

Total Precipitation (MONTH)  :    6.14      4.19      6.98      6.60

Normal Precipitation (MONTH) :    5.50      4.86      5.02      4.78

Departure from Normal (MONTH):    0.64    -0.67      1.96      1.82

Total Precipitation (YEAR)   :   21.64    18.19      16.70     15.78

Normal Precipitation (YEAR)  :   19.03    17.85      16.67     19.04

Departure from Normal (YEAR) :    2.61      0.34      0.03     -3.26

Climate Outlook:

With average temperatures so far for the year being below normal, many may be wondering if this is a trend that will continue into the dreaded hot summer months. For the answer to this we can turn to the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), which offers one month and three month outlooks for both temperature and precipitation. For the three month period of May, June, and July, the CPC is predicting a 41 percent likelihood of experiencing above normal temperatures, a 34 percent chance of near normal temperatures, and a 25 percent chance of below normal temperatures. If this forecast were to verify it would break the trend we have been on this year of below normal temperatures each month. As a frame of reference, the normal average temperature for May, June, and July is 78.0 degrees for Memphis, 74.8 degrees for Jackson, 75.9 degrees for Jonesboro, and 76.7 degrees for Tupelo.

For the three month precipitation prediction for May, June, and July the CPC has given an equal chance, which means there is a 33 percent likelihood of above normal precipitation totals, a 33 percent chance of near normal, and a 33 percent chance for below normal. This means there is no significant climate signal that aids the forecast in determining which category the precipitation totals for the three month period are most likely to land in. For the month of May the forecast is near a 40 percent likelihood for above normal precipitation for the region.

MAYE

April 2014 Precipitation Graphics: