Colder than average April data 'notable' on a couple of fronts

While the only measurable snow occurred early in the month, two late April snowfalls surprised even veteran meteorologists (Courtesy photo)

GRAY, Maine - It could be because there's fewer carbon dioxide emissions due to global lockdown orders or it could be nothing more than random temperature fluctuations we see every day.

But according to a National Weather Service meteorologist, it's "notable" that this April's average temperature is more than three degrees lower than the average temperature for April the last 20 years.

According to NWS meteorologist Hunter Tubbs, records indicate that the average mean temperature for Concord this month is 42.3 degrees, 2.1 degrees lower than last April.

As of Tuesday, this April is listed as the 22^nd coldest April in Concord, going back to 1868, according to NWS data.

But as they say in those infamous infomercials, but wait, there's more.

From 2010 to 2019 the average April temperature in New Hampshire's capital was 45.6, and from 2000 to 2009 it was 45.3, both three or more degrees higher than this year.

"It's definitely something noteworthy," Tubbs said on Tuesday.

Tubbs said it was also unusual to have this much late April snowfall, citing two recent storms that mostly hit in higher-elevation northern areas of New Hampshire and Maine.

He said the NWS keeps no global averages, but noted northern parts of the United States have recently seen cooler air masses than normal with the southern parts seeing warmer currents.

He said temperatures in the southwest were near triple digits this week.

And just for the record, the coldest April since records have been kept was in 1943 at 38.4, which in itself, is interesting, since climate-change activists point to carbon dioxide emissions as leading the charge in warming up the globe.

Which means between 1868 and 1943, every April was warmer than 1943.