News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Rain and strong winds engulf Alpena on Wednesday, forcing people to employ their umbrellas. The National Weather Service predicts the first half of May will be wet and cool before things dry out and warm in a few weeks.

ALPENA — It may have seemed like the month of April was cooler and drier than in years past, but recently released data from the National Weather Service shows the weather for last month was pretty much on-par with historical averages.

The only variation is that snowfall last month was well above April averages, thanks in part to a storm that dropped about 6 inches in the Alpena area during the middle of the month.

The report released by the National Weather Service says the average high temperature was 51 degrees, which was slightly lower than the historical average for April, which is 52.3 degrees. The average low temperature was 32.1 which was about one degree warmer than the monthly average. The overall average temperature was 41.6 degrees, which is right on the historical average for Northeast Michigan.

The warmest day of the month was April 22, when the mercury climbed to 76 degrees at the airport in Alpena, where weather observations are recorded. The coldest day was April 4, when temperatures dipped to 18 degrees.

The month of April had a recorded 10.1 inches of snow, but the bulk of it fell over a two-day span, when 3 inches fell on April 13 and a touch over 6 inches accumulated the following day. The snow didn’t stick to the ground long, however, as temperatures jumped into the 50s and low 60s. The average snowfall amount for the month is 5.8 inches. The total amount of precipitation was 3.2 inches, which was slightly above the long-term average of 2.39 inches for our region.

Meteorologist Jim Keysor of the Weather Service’s Gaylord office said that, besides the one snowstorm and a few warmer-than-average days, nothing made the month stand out.

“There was really nothing notable on the warm or cold side and, other than that one snow event, there was little to talk about in terms of snow,” Keysor said. “When you look at April as a whole, it was really a ho-hum month.”

As spring settles in, Keysor said people shouldn’t get too eager for above-average temperatures. He said the first two weeks of May will not be ideal for outdoor activities, but the extended forecast for the second half of the month is much better.

“It is going to be wet and, because of that, the temperatures will be on the cooler side,” he said. “There are some indicators, though, that show later in the month will turn drier and warmer. People just need to be patient, because, as we move toward Mother’s Day and Memorial Day Weekend, there looks like there could be a better weather pattern.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpeanews.com.

April, by the numbers

∫ Average high: 51 degrees

∫ Average low: 32.1 degrees

∫ Overall average temp: 41.6 degrees

∫ Snowfall: 10.1 inches

∫ Precipitation: 3.2 inches

Source: National Weather Service