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April can spring some weather surprises on New England, but mainly it's equal showers and warmer days

April can spring some weather surprises on New England, but mainly it's equal showers and warmer days

Boston Globe01-04-2025
The official forecast from NOAA this year calls for equal chances of above or below-average temperatures and precipitation. Often when we sit in the middle like that, we typically end up with an average month. In other words, not excessively wet or dry and not too cold or warm. This doesn't mean we couldn't see a few days of any of that type of weather; it's just that the odds favor a less extreme April.
The forecast calls for equal chances of above or below-average temperatures for April.
Boston Globe
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April may bring average precipitation across New England with more rain across the middle part of the country.
Boston Globe
One thing that is consistent in April is the inconsistency. During this spring month, we have seen temperatures as hot as the mid-90s - as recently as 2009, it reached 93 degrees on April 28. And there's the famous 94-degree reading in 1976 that hit just before the Boston Marathon that year.
On the opposite spectrum, Boston experienced a cold 16 degrees during the second biggest April snowstorm back in 1982, and in 2016, it reached 22 degrees on April 4. The years 1999 and 2001 saw just under nine-tenths of an inch of precipitation for the entire month, while 2004 had over 9½ inches for an abundance of April showers.
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Snow in April?
Of course, there has been snow in April: Most famously, the
Since then, there have been Aprils with some snow, but with the warming climate, snow in April is becoming less and less likely. Although, it's not out of the question.
Kids sled down Garden Street in Beacon Hill after the April Fool's Blizzard of 1997.
RYAN, David L. GLOBE STAFF
Glorious daylight
We gain an hour and 15 minutes of
Once we get past the threat of a hard freeze, if you move your house plants outside, it's a good idea to put them in the morning sun for a few days before exposing them to the strengthening ultraviolet rays.
If you're looking to get some color in the ground during April, there are hardy annuals that you can plant. Pansies, of course, are one of the ubiquitous flowers this time of year. Alyssum, violas, and snapdragons can also handle the chill of spring.
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Thoughts turn to flowers and gardening with the arrival of April.
Dave Epstein
The
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