What an April it has been in Central Maryland between the unseasonably cold conditions, bouts of drought, and even chances of snow. The month so far is 1.3 degrees below average with an average monthly temperature of 51.9 degrees. There have been more 40 and 50 degree days in the month of April for 2018 compared to the measly 6 days recorded of 70 and 80 degree plus temperatures.
The big question for many though is to if we will finally flip the switch to warm weather or will this whacky roller coaster nonsense of a weather pattern continues.
As we begin the transition to May it looks as if the switch will be flipped into Summer instead of Spring. Highs by the 2nd and 3rd days of the month could touch near 90 degrees. It's all thanks to an area of high pressure that will be anchored off the coastal Carolinas. This high will drift back and forth sending deep southwesterly flow our way. The heat pump will take over from the southeast all the way to the Canadian border which simply means that the Winter of 2017-2018 has finally come to an end.
Before we get to the warmth though we have to get to a bit of a Sunday shocker. One more shot of big cold air is expected with highs Sunday in the upper 50s to around 60 degrees. Overnight lows could drop below freezing for some which gives us the threat of frost before the growing season begins. Remember the old framer's rule of thumb is to plant after Mother's Day just to be safe. Good advice especially this time of year as we could have plenty of setups like this with one day of cold air hence Sunday then a huge warm-up like what we will see Wednesday and Thursday.
Long range outlooks over the next 6-10 days and even over the month ahead suggest warmer than average conditions along with above average precipitation. This is great news so we can all finally pack away that Winter gear and get thinking about Summer which will be here before you know it.
