Can't decide weather 🤷♂️
Update #647: the only thing consistent about the weather this week in the Hudson Valley will be its inconsistency.
April’s weather will start right where March left off in the Hudson Valley — inconsistent. Mother Nature really can’t really decide what to do.
March has been up to five degrees warmer than average in the region as a whole, but the last week featured temperatures as low as the mid-20s and as warm as the upper-70s.
And on Saturday, winter-like temperatures and summer-like temperatures were separated by as little as 30 miles. It was in the 40s in Ulster County at the same time it was near 80 in southern Orange County.
A “back door” cold front swung from northeast to southwest across the area during the mid-to-late afternoon, causing temperatures to plummet.
Temperature swings of more than 40 degrees are likely during the first week of April, although they probably won’t be as dramatic as the one on Saturday.
The recent warmth and lack of snowfall has allowed spring leaves to emerge around 10 days earlier than average in the area, a concept that I explored in a story for The Washington Post this past week; here’s a gift link. You can also search for the conditions in your county.
But the leaves, flowers, and everything else will be pretty confused by the weather during the weeks ahead.
The week ahead
The week ahead will have a wide-ranging mix of warm and chilly weather. Breezy conditions are also set to continue. Precipitation looks semi-regular, but its duration and intensity are rather uncertain as of this writing — especially next weekend.
A gusty thunderstorm is possible on Monday afternoon or evening when a cold front approaches the region.
Monday: warm and windy with showers and an afternoon or evening thunderstorm possible
Tuesday: much cooler and breezy with a good deal of sun
Wednesday: cool with increasing clouds and late-day showers possible
Thursday: warmer and windy again with scattered showers and a late-day or overnight thunderstorm possible
Friday: a chance for showers, mainly during the morning; otherwise, partly sunny
Saturday-Sunday: watching the potential for waves of rain and cool temperatures (high uncertainty)
The changeable nature of the weather this time of the year tends to be associated with lower predictability, especially more than 3 or 4 days away.
Premium subscribers can read on about what the rest of April may bring to the region.
Hint: 🥶