After a one month respite, the monthly average temperature for the Northeast was once again above normal in the Northeast. The area-weighted average temperature for the month of April was 1.1 degrees warmer than normal, but 1.6 degrees cooler than last April. The mid-Atlantic coast was the exception, with New Jersey averaging 0.4 degrees cooler than normal and Delaware 1.3 degrees cooler than the long-term average. All other states were on the warm side of normal, with West Virginia reporting the largest deviation at 2.6 degrees above the thirty-year mean.
Precipitation was lacking throughout the region, especially New England. Maine received only 0.72 inches during the month for their driest April in 105 years of record. Vermont and New Hampshire recorded their second driest Aprils, while Massachusetts reported their third driest April statewide. All four of these states received less than a third of their normal April precipitation total. Pennsylvania managed to report 102% of normal, but all other states had between 43% and 78% of the expected April amount. Overall the region averaged 63% of normal for the 12th driest April on record and the driest since 1985.
Monthly Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.
April 1999 was the driest April on record at Boston's Logan Airport. The monthly total precipitation of 0.83 inches beat the previous record of 0.93 inches set in 1892.
Maximum Temperature Records City Date New Previous Buffalo, NY 3rd 76 75 in 1981 Erie, PA 3rd 80 79 in 1963 Beckley, WV 3rd 80 79 in 1981 Atlantic City AP, NJ 4th 77 74 in 1997 Atlantic City Marina, NJ 4th 77 75 in 1997 Harrisburg, PA 4th 82 80 in 1950 Beckley, WV 5th 76 75 in 1997 Caribou, ME (tie) 17th 62 62 in 1973