Crazy spring: March average temperature warmer than April's for 1st time in recorded history
Remember that record-breaking month of March? The warmest on record in Ann Arbor? The one that broke eight high temperature records and spawned a tornado? Well, you can add one more record to the list.
Two-year old cuties Reese Schoebel, Madeline Mignery and Addison Gregg enjoyed a snack outside on North University in Ann Arbor during an unseasonably warm March day.
The average temperature in March in Ann Arbor was 50.7 degrees, Kahlbaum said, 14 degrees above the normal average of 36. The average temperature in April was 49.2, just a smidgen above the normal average of 49.
“That just shows how extreme March was more than anything,” said Mike Richter, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake Township, which does weather forecasting for all of southeast Michigan.
Meteorologists say the abnormally warm March was the result of a ridge of high pressure parked over the eastern part of the country as well as the northerly position of the jet stream. Once that weather pattern subsided, more normal temperatures ensued.
For updated weather conditions and forecasts any time, check AnnArbor.com's weather page.
Comments
brb11
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 12:52 p.m.
Is this where a bunch of people with no knowledge of climate science come in and cast doubt on the work reputable scientists have devoted their lives to? If you can't explain, in detail, why the science of climate change is incorrect, you should not say it is "junk science". Especially if you believe that scientists used to think we were headed towards an ice age, or that temperature trends in the past are indistinguishable in their properties to those of today.
Davidian
Thu, May 3, 2012 : 1:41 a.m.
Seeing as "records" only go back 130 years or so, we're talking about a fart in the wind in terms of geological time. 30 years ago, scientists were sure we were on the brink of an ice age. Now they are saying the opposite.Tthis spring was very warm. Last year was very cold and very snowy. Liberals will tell you it's global warming, and conservatives will find examples that contradict. Unfortunately the "truth" depends on whether or not you're reading the NY Times or Fox News. It's all influenced by politics and therefore I trust none of it. Climate science is junk science, at least right now it is.
Macabre Sunset
Thu, May 3, 2012 : 12:24 a.m.
Well, then, if this is all that unusual, what explains the East Anglia's climatology department's overwhelming need to use shady tactics to control what gets studied and what gets published? What may seem unusual over a period of 150 years doesn't necessarily reflect what's unusual over a period of billions of years. The earth has clearly been a lot colder and it has clearly been a lot warmer. We should continue to study climate change, but we cannot afford to spend trillions of dollars on what appears to be politically motivated demands for immediate action.
Tru2Blu76
Wed, May 2, 2012 : 11:52 p.m.
And today saw another record high - matching the high recorded for May 2, 1901. No one living today has seen a May 2nd as warm as this one is. Simple math: when you have high temp records of such magnitude, duration and rarity so early in the year, it makes the odds of having another record year of heat that much greater since it's just as unlikely that record lows will equal record highs. Of course our country's and our planet's climatological future is protected by political quips and a deep, abiding suspicion of Science. What can go wrong?!