Rising Sun Angle & Longer Days Will Soon Mean More Than Just 'April Showers'
By Chris Spears
DENVER (CBS4) - The arrival of the month of April can mean different things to different people.
To a meteorologist in Colorado it's a sure sign that severe weather season is near.
April is considered to be a transitional weather month for the central Rockies. The daily weather story can sometimes feature multiple seasons within a few hours.
And while there are several reasons for the often turbulent weather, the sun plays a major role.
As days grow longer and the sun angle rises higher, more and more energy is provided to the atmosphere to fuel intense weather.
During early to mid-spring, Colorado often finds itself in the middle of an atmospheric battlefield, with cool, drier air to the north and warm, moist air to the south.
As these air masses clash everything from severe thunderstorms to intense winter storms are possible.
In Denver, April is the 6th coldest month of the year with an average high between 58-66°F and an average low between 30-37°F.
Extremes range from a low of -2°F on April 2, 1975 to a high of 90°F on April 30, 1992.
The 30-year average for April snowfall in Denver is 6.8 inches making it the 5th snowiest month, but if you look at the average over Denver's entire climate record, it's the 2nd snowiest month of the year with an average of 8.9 inches.
Denver's average April precipitation is 1.71 inches.
Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.
