MONTHLY SUMMARY: APRIL 1996 PREPARED: 5-18-96 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings folks! As I write, warm air is beginning to surge and it looks like most all of Virginia will have it's first hot spell of the year! Temps forecast for the 90's for most of the new week! Guess it's time for nature to balance itself, which it most always does! So much for the winter of '95-'96 which was forecast to be milder and drier than normal!! So much for computer models, too!! Most of us in April of '96 noted a much calmer pattern setting in. Lawdy knows we deserve it!! Noticed here- and probably where you are- that the blooming cycle got off to a slow start with irises running several weeks behind. Still waiting for the wisteria to begin blooming! Bob Keehn has been in the hospital for re-arrangement of his coronary arteries. Glad to have you back and hope all is going well, Bob! He still managed to get us a partial summary. Devotion!! Bob Woodson's download of NMC's surface analysis (21Z 04-15-96) at time of local Raleigh severe weather is included in the monthly mailing, but not at our Internet address. Also, he's sent along a newspaper summary of the event. Thanks Bob!! By-the-way, you can get these NMC NWSFAX products at my home page site (http://www.infi.net/~bsmoot) in the "Hot Links" subpage. You will need a .tiff viewer, but can download that easily from The Library of Virginia home page site at: http://image.vtls.com/ss_services/vtlstif.html (Don't forget that the viewer should be configured in the options/ preferences section of your browser [i.e., Netscape, whatever]. If you need help, then let me know.) Have invited James Reynolds of Greensboro to join us after Kevin Shaw of the International Weather Watchers forwarded his address. Haven't heard from him yet, but hope to! Chris Hovanic of Hardwick Mt., Virginia has departed our group. No reason given- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES FROM "AROUND THE LEAGUE"- Falls Church - Lowell Koontz corrected his seasonal snowfall at 61.2 inches, the new seasonal record snowfall at this station. Fredericksburg - According to Ken McKneely: "A month of widely fluctuating, but gradually warming temperatures. Both precipitation and temperatures were above normal. Many windy days made it seem colder that it actually was." Hampton - Dave Kessel reported that the month was very average although somewhat rainy. Herndon - Robert Beall wrote, "An up and down month, essentially typical climatologically but noticeably late in the arrival of spring signs until mid-month." Portsmouth - A rather normal month- temperature-wise - here with higher than normal pollen counts and rather high winds on several occasions. Seems extreme southeast Virginia benefitted more from pre-cold-frontal passages as several spots- including this station - reported over 5" of rain. Mechanicsville - At Glenn Martin's station, strong winds and downpours moved through the area on the 23rd around 7 PM. Strong thunderstorms moved just north of the station on the 29th. Experienced some lightning and a brief shower then. Roanoke - Wendell Prillaman noted a very dry month, April 1996. Had it not been for the 1.01" on the 30th, his station would have only totalled 0.99"! Woodstock - Lauck Walton noted his temperatures were almost exactly on the 11-year average. Last freeze occurred 2 days later than average. The last days with 30 degree temps were exactly on average. Charlotte - NWS at Greensville-Spartanburg SC reported 6 different days in Charlotte with thunderstorms and with strong to severe storms causing wind damage and hail on the 20th and 29th-30th. Raleigh - Bob Woodson reported 2 tornadoes caused extensive damage in eastern Wake and Franklin counties on the 15th. Damage estimates at $ 7 million with 31 injuries. Seventh consecutive month of below normal daily temps. Bob purchased a Weather Wizard III from Davis Instruments! (Editor's note: Congratulations!! You've joined many happy owners of this fine system!! What a support department, too, at Davis!!) Roxboro - "Although April had its ups and downs of temperatures, the month averaged above normal. Rainfall also exceeded the norms. There were threats of severe weather every week - but no major damage or injuries reported. Lots of pollen between rains." (report from Merriell Jay) Wilmington - According to NWS ILM, "The big weather story in April was the 'April Fool's Day' hailstorm. During the early morning hours on the 1st, a severe thunderstorm began to develop over northeastern Brunswick County. As the storm crossed the Cape fear River, it started to drop hail as large as an inch in diameter on the northern portions of Wilmington. It was the first hail reported at the New Hanover International Airport since June." Greenville-Spartanburg - NWS GSP noted that April was cooler and drier than normal. Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across the area on the 19-20th and the 29th-30th, bringing damaging winds, large hail, and heavy downpours to much of the upstate. Ruby - Franklin Hancock noted what most of us did, that April was about average. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATED MEMBERS' E-MAIL ADDRESSES: (posted by permission) BRE Bob Keehn robertk891@aol.com BRI Clayton Towers Ctowers@rica.net POR Bill Trotter wtrotter@pen.k12.va.us 71470.1535@compuserve.com wtrotter@whro.org FRD Matthew Michaelson mmichael@s850.mwc.edu RAL Bob Woodson woods@usa.pipeline.com CEN Paul Bassett III pbassett@nmaa.org -----------------------------------------------------------------------------