We saw .68 of an inch of rain yesterday bringing us to 1.49 inches for a wet start to April. I put down my first application of fertilizer on the lawn yesterday to halt the growth of dandelions and crabgrass. Yes, I saw the first dandelion of the year yesterday. Next will be the grub killer to start chasing the moles away. Last year and this winter we have had an overabundance of the little critters.
The sun come out in the afternoon yesterday which brought about a high temp of 56° yesterday’s low was 45°. We currently have 42° at 5 am. It will be mostly cloudy today with scattered showers. Highs in most areas will hold in the 40s. The weather will remain unsettled tonight through Saturday morning with scattered rain and snow showers. Highs on Friday and Saturday will be in the upper 30s to lower 40s which will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal. This will not be very conducive for outdoor activities as many of us like to start landscaping and crop planning this time of year.
Forecast Discussion
...Unsettled through Friday... A deep-layer closed low--nearly vertically stacked--is currently situated over the western Great Lakes. This post-mature low is forecast to slowly meander through the region into tomorrow while secondary cyclogenesis commences today across the mid Atlantic. Cold midlevel temperatures (-25 to -30C at 500 mb) associated with this closed low, in conjunction with modest daytime boundary- layer warming, will foster a diurnal uptick in shower coverage today. Precip will also be aided by weak ascent arising from subtle shortwave impulses rotating around the periphery of the closed circulation. Even with boundary-layer cooling this evening, appreciable shower activity will likely continue into tonight as the midlevel low moves nearly overhead and deep moisture profiles persist. Rain showers may mix with or change to snow this evening/tonight as wet-bulb 0C heights fall, but little/no accumulation is expected. Showery precipitation will continue Friday, again aided by diurnal processes, and short-range model guidance suggests that another embedded shortwave impulse may approach for Fri afternoon. Isolated thunder will also be possible in our SE counties on Friday, given the expected meager but sufficient instability. Total additional precip through Fri night is expected to be 0.25 inches or less, as supported by latest HREF 48-h local probability-matched-mean QFP. This additional precip will certainly maintain damp conditions, but should not contribute to significant additional river rises. ...Few showers Saturday, then dry/warmer for Sunday... The aforementioned closed low will begin to lift quickly northeast beginning Friday night. Nevertheless, a few showers are possible into Saturday afternoon as low-level moisture lingers and a final shortwave impulse dives southeastward. Subsidence will ensue on Sat night, downstream of a sharp ridge axis. This ridge axis will traverse the region on Sun, yielding abundant sunshine and warmer temps. ...Large-scale pattern change early next week... An amplifying upper ridge near the Aleutians on Sat will spur rapid downstream development into early next week. This development will first yield a deepening western CONUS trough on Sat night-Sun, followed by a building eastern CONUS ridge during the Mon-Wed period. This large-scale upper-level pattern evolution has been well signaled in recent global ensemble guidance, but uncertainty exists by the midweek timeframe, particularly with respect to the positioning of surface features. Western CONUS midlevel height falls on Sat night will likely contribute to lee cyclogenesis, with the resulting surface low emerging into the central plains on Sun. Ahead of this feature, Gulf moisture will quickly advance northward. By Sun night, a low- level jet will likely facilitate warm theta-e advection into the region beneath relatively steep midlevel lapse rates associated with an EML plume. GFS profiles suggest MUCAPE of 200-400 J/kg for elevated parcels in our southern counties on Sun night, and lift will likely be augmented by QG forcing of ascent. This, low PoPs on Sun night are justified, and some thunder appears possible. For the Mon-Wed timeframe, current expectation is for a frontal boundary to become positioned over the southern Great Lakes, with a reservoir of low-level moisture (and instability) becoming well established south of this boundary. Precipitation will likely be modulated by one or several frontal waves during this period, but details are uncertain.
It sure has been very chilly and cloudy today. It tried to rain on and off. I wish Friday would be a sunny day. I have a park bench for my porch in the garage and we need to refinish it but we need some warmer temps for the garage to be warm enough to do it. I was out taking photos of crocuses in my garden yesterday. I am anxious to get my butterfly bush cut back some and of course some other things. I am watching for the greenhouses to open just so I can walk thru and… Read more »
It now looks very much like April 2022 will be on the cold side. Next weeks warm up looks to be brief to say the least. Cloudy and 42 here at this time. Todays high so far looks to be just 43.
Slim
Yeahh like I said in the past I don’t get excited to May for decently warmth April is such a transformation month and March is pretty much a winter month lately in western Michigan….InDY
Who would have thought!
Currently 39 degrees in GR wow for almost mid April looks like we will be driving home to the cold and rain this weekend…im thinking even golf courses are shaking there hesds now ….InDY
No one in their right mind will be golfing at least thru Sunday. By Sunday afternoon maybe?
Have a safe trip back.
Slim
Thanks Slim we are shoveling off early tomorrow driving to Nashville Tennessee 13 hours staying the night then heading home Saturday..Long trip ahead of us …InDzy
Hey MV’s best check out the GFS model for around the 18th is that a snowstorm brewing?? Wow …InDY
Yes that is what it currently shows?
The lawn is greening up nicely. A light jacket type day today. This low is moving at a snail’s pace.
Watching The Masters. Picture perfect weather in northeast Georgia. Not a cloud in the sky.
This will be the coldest April 7th in 4 years. Last year the high was 80 in 2020 it was 75 and in 2019 74. Of course in 2018 the high was only 30 and there was a trace of snow fall. The average highs are now in the mid 50’s and the average lows are in the mid 30’s so this weekend will be well below average.
Slim
The wether word of the day and the weekend = COLD!
Get ready for the sub freezing temps this weekend! Wow, just wow!
What do you know, two straight above average temp days so far in our “cool” week.
Lol, pathetic!
This week will end up below average. The next question is just how warm will it get next week? There are some indications that while it will warm up it may not last all that long. 42 and cloudy here at this time.
Slim
Not looking forward to coming home to the 40’s thats cold compared to my week here even know I love the cold weather being down here in Florida puts me in the Summer mojo now im ready …InDY
Just got a burst of sleet/ice pellets at my house. Just another cold spring day!
What? Sleet and ice during the cool Spring trend! Incredible!
The official high yesterday at Grand Rapids was 54. That is the average high for the date the official low was 42. It has been a cool and wet start to April this year with a official rain/melted snow fall amount of 1.21″ and a mean temperature of 39.7 that is a departure of -3.0. The next several days look to continue that wet cool pattern. While it may warm up next week we will have to see just how long that warm up lasts.
Slim
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s been cloudy.
https://www.mlive.com/weather/2022/04/numbers-show-just-how-cloudy-it-has-been-in-michigan.html
You don’t say? We have been entrenched in a cool, cloudy, wet pattern and more of the same is on the horizon! Horrendous weather pattern!
Lets not forget about the sunshine Bill Steffens just said 15% possible sunshine in the 15 days or so thats right up there wirh cool wet spring thats happening 😎….InDY
Hope you are enjoying the sunshine down in Florida!
Its 80* here now also really dry down here to ..but we have some good storms on the way this afternoon hopefully its loud mis the sounds of thunder…Indy
Spring time storms down there can be hit and miss. Sort of like in the early summertime here. Later in the summer time that is when they get the big time thunderstorms. And at that time there are storms close by almost every day. And in the Fort Myers area they can be early morning and again in the mid afternoon. Heck I can give a good July August forecast for there now. Partly cloudy with early morning and mid afternoon thunderstorms high 92 tonight thunderstorms early then clearing overnight low 75. LOL
Slim
Happens every single year! The warm weather nuts have a couple nice days and say winter is over and warm sunny weather is on the way! Ya right! Cool, cloudy and wet ever since they started talking about the warm weather hype! Incredible!
Already behind of schedule on our first 70 degree day I see yes this Spring has definitely been cooler then normal like every Spring around west Michigan lately…InDY
The weather word of the day = cold!
Get ready as the cool, cloudy pattern continues! Possible highs only in the 30’s on Saturday! Incredible cold for mid April! The latest CPC continues to show the cool pattern keeps rolling into late April! Who would have thought?