Rochester residents hoping for an early start to spring (by Rochester standards, anyway) were disappointed this week, when a sudden April snowstorm dumped nearly half a foot of snow on the region overnight. By the time the snow stopped, 6.7 inches of snow had fallen on the region in just the first few days of April.
And while that’s a far cry from record snowfalls seen in winters past here in Rochester, it was a rude awakening for a city enjoying an unusually mild winter so far. In just three and a half days of April, more snow fell in Rochester than in November, December, and March combined.
For reference, thus far Rochester is only dealing with the 14th snowiest April in the region’s history. Rochester residents of 1901 saw a record 23.8 inches of snowfall, although there are still three more weeks to go.
The late-winter weather was part of a storm system that brought record low temperatures to much of the Northeast and Great Lakes regions in the first week of April, including Rochester.
On Tuesday, April 5, early morning temperatures in some parts of Rochester dropped to 14 degrees, breaking the 1879 record low of 15 degrees. Rochester wasn’t the only city in upstate New York to see record lows, with cities like Albany, Glens Falls, and Syracuse all breaking records as well.
And according to the meteorologists with Weather.com, the 114 million Americans who enjoy gardening will have to wait a bit longer to carry through with spring planting.
Michigan, Maine, New York, and Rhode Island are all due for more snow and record low temperatures thanks to a southward dip in the jet stream, but the entire Midwest and east coast will be hit with unusually low temperatures as well. Arctic air from Canada will blow south across the border, plunging even more of the Great Lakes and New England regions into another freeze.
Image Source: D. Gordon E. Robertson, PhD
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