APRIL 2008 WEATHER & PHENOLOGY IN REVIEW

From the North Shore of Little Rock Lake, Benton County, MN

Jim Hovda, Rice, MN  56367-0265   jhovda.rice@juno.com

N  45  44  .862      W  094  09  .603

WEATHER LAST APRIL:       Simply put - a lot warmer and significantly dryer.  Temps first.  Average low was about two degrees cooler.  Low temp for the month was 6.8 degrees above zero.  The big difference was on the warm side of daily readings.    April started out with readings in the 30's & 40's.  By the 12th readings hit the 50's and got warmer until the end of the month with the high of 86.5 degrees on the 29th.  And, we had ICE OUT on April 1st. 

       Snow/rain nothing compared to this month.  Snow on four days totaling  7.0" with the most snow on the 3rd  when I measured 4.2" of the white stuff.  Eleven days with rain/snow.  The most fell on the 22nd when a badly need rain of 1.05" fell. 

       All of natures growing things were at least two weeks ahead of this year.  That includes the first observed dreaded wood tick on the 26th...

WEATHER:       Winter is still with us.  It just won't quit.   I would have said "it was quite a winter" just not to be.  With SNOW forecast for  May 3rd I just don't know what to say.  The average low of 27.13 degrees was only a couple of degrees from most of the averages, not too bad.    The coldest day occurred on the 15th with a 15.9 degree reading.  The real issue was only one low reading made it to the 40's and  only SIX days saw the low temps get above freezing.  One of the reasons for the later than usual ice out for Little Rock Lake occurring on the 21st of April at 6:00 P.M..    The high temps bounced around the 30's and 40's most of the month.    Brief warm spells at the first and middle of the month  gave us hope for spring then the temps ended the month with some 30's.    The high was a 72.1 degree day that occurred on the 24th.  The average high was only 50.92 degrees.

       Snow/Rain - totalled 4.12" of precipitation.  Above average.  SNOW was the talk of Rice.  We ended the month with 15.7" of the white stuff for a year total of 46.2" compared to 39" last year.  The most snow fell on the 10th & 11th when we received 7.8" on the ground.   That snow produced no less than 1.2" of water.  It was the heaviest snow I can ever remember when I tried to remove it from our driveway.  In fact, I only made a path for the tires and let the sun do the rest.   The State Patrol closed I-94 at Alexandria for a day or two.   This snow followed a snowfall on the 1st of 5.8" that produced .44" of moisture.    Snow from the 25th thru the 28th ended the month on a winter note.  Our first forty-five minute thunder storm occurred on the 5th producing only  .05" of rain.   At the end of the month (26th/27th) we had a storm that probably could be called a significant weather event.  (SWE).    While I was up north on a fishing trip in Baudette weathering 15" of snow, 40 mph winds out of the north that produced four foot drifts, most of this storm produced rain here in Central MN.  No less than 1.43" of precipitation.  We ended the month on the snow side with 15.7" and a year total of 46.2".  Moisture - 4.12" for the month bringing our year total to 6.11".    Yes, we are still behind in the water department.   This month was a great help though.

WEATHER RECORDS FOR APRIL:       Listening to the weather guru's, there were a lot of records (one day) and snowfall in Northern MN along with precipitation issues that will probably be in print for next years report.  I believe it.  Locally the coldest temp was a -3 degrees below zero in 1975 while greater MN boasted a -22 degrees below zero F (-30 C) in Karlstad in 1979.  Our warmest local temp was a 96 degree reading in 1980 while it got to 101 degrees F (44 C) in Hawley.    It appears that we broke the old April local record of 11.1" of snow in 1950 with our 2008  of 15.7".  What a surprise!!!  

       Other records:  Largest single day temperature change, 71 degrees on April 3rd in Lamberton.  Most fatalities from a single tornado, ST CLOUD/SAUK RAPIDS/RICE when 72 people were killed on the 14th of April 1886.    Many rivers in different locations recorded record floods in April.  Too many to list separately.

PHENOLOGY:        I'll do birds first.   Either the Ring-billed or the Herring Gulls arrived on the 3rd while the American White Pelicans made their first appearance on the 4th.   Our first, and only appearance of wild turkeys in our yard occurred on the 9th.  Jan and I did hear a lot of them in the woods in back of the house some days earlier.    On the 6th a Sharp-shinned Hawk met its demise when it hit our window trying for a kill.    The 19th brought our first Common Grackle and Brown-headed Cow Birds.   (Lot's of them this year)  On the 23rd we saw our first Tree Swallows though I think they were here a few days earlier.  On the 27th masses of Double-crested Cormorants landed in Little Rock Lake.  Since then, hundreds have been here heading (hopefully) north. 

        Other critters:   On the 2nd I saw the first dreaded pocket gophers making their mounds on the warm side of hills.    The 21st brought the return of a flying squirrel to our bird feeder.  They have been MIA for a year or two.   Jan and I were really glad to see their return.    On the 23rd (a warm day) I observed four painted turtles on a log in Little Rock Creek.   Our three bunnies are still here busily eating the cracked corn that we leave out for them.   

        Other observations:     Our blue, yellow and white Crocus' were in bloom on the 18th and the first docks were in the water on the north end (Soderholm and Seviola) on the 26th.  On the 28th the leaves finally dropped off the White Swamp Oaks by the lake.    I hooked up the garden hose on the 30th.

RESIDENT OBSERVATIONS:       Emil Williams and Steve Bogie  observed several Fox Sparrows on the 15th and  Emil sighted the first Blue Birds on the 19th.   Jerry Perske may have the spring sighting  of note when he observed six Greater Scaups (a duck type bird) on the north end of Little Rock Lake.  Jerry says he has not seen them in over ten years.   Our MN bird expert, Jim Gilbert of WCCO Radio fame and noted educator concurs that this bird is, and had not been common of late.   Jim commented that this is the latest recorded opening of the Mississippi River to barge traffic.   Again our observant Jerry Perske spotted a Northern Goshawk flying overhead on the 21st along with a Mourning Cloak Butterfly.  Again on the 21st, Marvin Neubert spotted no less than six Common Loons in the north end of Little Rock Lake.  Will spring come in May?