Cool and dreary that pretty much sums up this past month. After the 8th warmest winter, the overall temperature trend has been below-normal during the first two months of meteorological spring. Just this month Lexington had 21 days with below-normal highs. The last above-average high came on April 8th. 20 out of the final 22 days of the month were below-normal.
April 2020 ends about four degrees below-average. It was Lexington's 18th coldest April. The coldest temperature was 25° on the 15th and 16th. The coldest high temperature of 42° came the day before on the 14th. There were some warm days. In fact, seven of the first eight days were at or above-normal. The warmest temperature was 78° on April 8th.
Then there was the rain. Half of the days this month had measurable precipitation. The monthly precipitation total was just under five inches and there was a trace of snow. The grass, flowers, and trees loved all of the rain. Everything is blooming and so green right now.
Things seem to be looking up as we flip the calendar to May. High temperatures will steadily climb through the 60s and 70s over the next three days. This will be the warmest weekend since the end of March. Unfortunately, it looks like this warmth will be a blip. The Climate Prediction Center shows favorable odds for below-normal temperature across Kentucky and the rest of the Ohio Valley through the start of May. After the mid 70s this weekend, highs will drop into the 60s next week. Keep in mind Lexington's average high is now in the lower 70s. So if you are itching to get your garden in, we'd advise you to wait a little bit longer. This cooler-than-normal trend could still bring another frost/freeze potential.
