After a slow start in Missouri, spring progressed steadily through April, with gradually warming days and balmy evenings. This idyllic pattern was disrupted on Sunday, April 25, as we found ourselves on the back side of this week's powerful storm and experienced a steady flow of cool, moist air from the northwest; scattered showers continued overnight and, by Monday morning, our temperature had fallen into the upper forties.
Anyone who expected a rapid return to typical, late April weather was in for a disappointment as a second storm pulled out of the Northern Rockies, bringing light snow to the Front Range and northern Plains. By yesterday afternoon, this system was centered over Iowa and our cool, damp weather was reinforced. Smaller than its predecessor, this storm was more tightly wound and a potent, northwest breeze continued through the day, giving us a taste of early March in late April.
This morning, the second storm has pushed to our east, the winds have subsided and only the chilly, gray skies remain; our low this morning was 42 F. By this afternoon, a southerly flow should develop, the sun will reappear and we are expected to reach the mid sixties. More seasonable weather is forecast for the rest of the week and this cold, cloudy interlude will be just a bad memory; of course, once the intense heat sets in, it will be missed.
