Spring months that cool, or fall months that warm Options

[Hertz]

My area, and all of Ohio actually, is about to close out an April that, despite being fairly close to normal in temperatures, was actually COOLER than the extremely warm March. As far as I know, this is the only time in my entire life (since August 1990), in Ohio, that two consecutive months, both meteorological spring or fall months (since these are the months where average temperatures rise or fall by the greatest margin), differed in average temperature from each other in the opposite direction of what would be expected.

I know that in parts of the south-central US, April was cooler than March back in 2007. I also know many areas around the Plains flirted in 2009 with having a warmer November compared to October. And finally I know about 1907, when some places had a record warm March AND a record cold April. Nonetheless, what times, if any, can you recall in or near your region, that two consecutive months both in meteorological spring or fall had opposite temperature differences from what would be expected; that is, one of these four possibilities:

1) April cooler than March;
2) May cooler than April;
3) October warmer than September; or
4) November warmer than October

Using normals as a guidelines, these four possibilities roughly tie in having the least chance of happening in any given year. I'd be interested in if there were any other widespread or even local cases you've seen of such an unusual event!

This post has been edited by Hertz: Apr 30 2012, 07:44 PM

[Beck]

My area, and all of Ohio actually, is about to close out an April that, despite being fairly close to normal in temperatures, was actually COOLER than the extremely warm March. As far as I know, this is the only time in my entire life (since August 1990), in Ohio, that two consecutive months, both meteorological spring or fall months (since these are the months where average temperatures rise or fall by the greatest margin), differed in average temperature from each other in the opposite direction of what would be expected.

I know that in parts of the south-central US, April was cooler than March back in 2007. I also know many areas around the Plains flirted in 2009 with having a warmer November compared to October. And finally I know about 1907, when some places had a record warm March AND a record cold April. Nonetheless, what times, if any, can you recall in or near your region, that two consecutive months both in meteorological spring or fall had opposite temperature differences from what would be expected; that is, one of these four possibilities:

1) April cooler than March;
2) May cooler than April;
3) October warmer than September; or
4) November warmer than October

Using normals as a guidelines, these four possibilities roughly tie in having the least chance of happening in any given year. I'd be interested in if there were any other widespread or even local cases you've seen of such an unusual event!

In 1999, September had an average high of 90.4F, which is about average - but then in October, we had an average high of 95.1F, if you can believe that. The normal average high here in October is 83F. Four consecutive triple-digit heat waves were to blame, one as late as October 30th.

In 2003, April was about 2F cooler than March here.

[Jet Developer]

My area, and all of Ohio actually, is about to close out an April that, despite being fairly close to normal in temperatures, was actually COOLER than the extremely warm March. As far as I know, this is the only time in my entire life (since August 1990), in Ohio, that two consecutive months, both meteorological spring or fall months (since these are the months where average temperatures rise or fall by the greatest margin), differed in average temperature from each other in the opposite direction of what would be expected.

I know that in parts of the south-central US, April was cooler than March back in 2007. I also know many areas around the Plains flirted in 2009 with having a warmer November compared to October. And finally I know about 1907, when some places had a record warm March AND a record cold April. Nonetheless, what times, if any, can you recall in or near your region, that two consecutive months both in meteorological spring or fall had opposite temperature differences from what would be expected; that is, one of these four possibilities:

1) April cooler than March;
2) May cooler than April;
3) October warmer than September; or
4) November warmer than October

Using normals as a guidelines, these four possibilities roughly tie in having the least chance of happening in any given year. I'd be interested in if there were any other widespread or even local cases you've seen of such an unusual event!

In San Diego in 2003, the average high temperature for January was warmer than that of June. It's not one of the 4 scenarios above, but is even more interesting. Coastal locations can get their warmest weather of the year during fall/winter because during spring/summer the inland heat draws in the air off the cold ocean. Offshore flow is most likely in fall/winter when cold air moves into the Great Basin and sends air flow from the Great Basin to the warmer California desert, sending dry desert air toward the coast that is further warmed adiabatically as it is compressed through the passes and canyons.

This post has been edited by Jet Developer: May 6 2012, 12:26 AM

[kpk33x]

My area, and all of Ohio actually, is about to close out an April that, despite being fairly close to normal in temperatures, was actually COOLER than the extremely warm March. As far as I know, this is the only time in my entire life (since August 1990), in Ohio, that two consecutive months, both meteorological spring or fall months (since these are the months where average temperatures rise or fall by the greatest margin), differed in average temperature from each other in the opposite direction of what would be expected.

I know that in parts of the south-central US, April was cooler than March back in 2007. I also know many areas around the Plains flirted in 2009 with having a warmer November compared to October. And finally I know about 1907, when some places had a record warm March AND a record cold April. Nonetheless, what times, if any, can you recall in or near your region, that two consecutive months both in meteorological spring or fall had opposite temperature differences from what would be expected; that is, one of these four possibilities:

1) April cooler than March;
2) May cooler than April;
3) October warmer than September; or
4) November warmer than October

Using normals as a guidelines, these four possibilities roughly tie in having the least chance of happening in any given year. I'd be interested in if there were any other widespread or even local cases you've seen of such an unusual event!

Nothing like that in Baltimore in the same year, although 2012's 1.7F difference between March and April was the smallest in my lifetime. Had April been much at all below normal, it would have happened. April 1982 was colder than March of this year. In some years, April has been 15 or 16 degrees warmer than March.
We have never had a May colder than April. We were within 4 degrees in 2005 at 59.2F for May, the coldest I can remember. April 1994 was warmer than May 2005.
Octobers generally are like September - if September is warm so is October, and a cool September means a cool October. Not so in 1984 when September's 64.8F was only 2.2F warmer than October. We've had other years vary as much as 15F between the two months. In October 2007 we got close to being warmer than Sept. 1984 (1.3F difference).
We have never had a November warmer than October.
1984 was a strange year. February was warmer than March. September was the coldest in my lifetime, October one of the warmest. November was colder than December which was the warmest in my lifetime.
For 2 years in a row, 2000 and 2001, July was only the third warmest month of the year. Generally it is the warmest and sometimes the second warmest, but those are the only 2 years in my lifetime where it was 3rd. One other year came close: 1984.
The thing I'm finding weird recently is the lack of cool Octobers. We've had some summers, springs, and winters with well below average months in the past several years but October hasn't been especially chilly since 1999.