April 2024 Summary – Close to Average

Partial solar eclipse near the time of maximum obscuration as photographed at the Blue Hill Observatory on the afternoon of 8 April 2024. Photo by Blue Hill Observer Amanda Joly.

Blue Hill Observatory April 2024 Summary: 

April temperature and precipitation were close to average and there was less snow and sunshine than expected. The approximated 24-hour mean temperature for the month of 46.8 deg F was 1.9 degree warmer than the 1891-2020 130-year average for April, and it was just 0.1 degrees warmer than the 1991-2020 30-year average. The average maximum temperature of 57.0 deg F was 0.7 degrees warmer than the 30-year normal, and the average minimum temperature of 38.3 deg F was 0.4 degrees warmer than the 30-year normal. The warmest temperature reached 73F on the 15th, and the lowest temperature was 29F on the 25th. There were no significantly warm or cold days during the month, and only four days had a minimum temperature of 32F or below. April got off to a wet start, and half of the month’s rainfall, 2.51 inches, and all of the snow fell during the first week. The total precipitation was 4.91 inches, which was just 0.15 inches more than the 30-year normal. The greatest amount in 24 hours was 2.06 inches with strong winds on the 3rd-4th. The first thunderstorm day of the year was observed during some heavy showers before sunrise on the 30th. The total snowfall for the month was 0.7 inches on the 4th, which included some sleet and was also the largest amount in 24-hours. The mean wind speed was 12.0 mph, which tied as the second lowest on record for April, and the prevailing wind direction was from the northwest. The highest wind gust was 63 mph from the east-northeast on the 4th. April sunshine was below average with 175.9 hours of bright sunshine, or 45 percent of possible, which was four percent less than the long-term average for the month. An unusual weather occurrence during April was the total solar eclipse on the 8th, which obscured 92 percent of the sun at its maximum extent at Blue Hill. During the eclipse the temperature dropped and recovered about 8 deg F and the total observed sunshine for that day was reduced by the diminished sunlight by 42 minutes relative to what would have been recorded during the thin high cloud sky cover observed that afternoon.

BHO Lowest April Mean Wind Speed, mph (1885-2024):

1) 11.1 in 2023
2) 12.0 in 2008
   12.0 in 2024
4) 12.3 in 2010
5) 12.4 in 2001
   12.4 in 2016
7) 12.5 in 2021

Mike Iacono
Chief Scientist
Blue Hill Observatory