How cool has Pittsburgh been in April? January had a warmer day

Everything about April 2020 has been unusual, including the temperature. It’s been cold out there.

So far, no day in Pittsburgh has risen above 70 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

If the pattern holds, it would be the first time in weather service annual records the highest recorded temperature in April was cooler than the highest in January. The highest temperature recorded in January was 71 degrees.

The same is true in Zanesville, Ohio, and Morgantown, W.Va., the weather service said.

Based on current forecasts for the rest of the month, #Pittsburgh, #Zanesville, and #Morgantown will have a lower max temperature in April (70/73/71, respectively) than in January (71/74/74). It would be the 1st time this has occurred in our climate records for each location.

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) April 27, 2020

In April 1924, 1975 and 1998, the Pittsburgh weather was similar. The highest temperature in those months was 72 degrees, setting the record for what meteorologists call “the lowest maximum temperature.” If the temperature does not rise above 72 degrees before Thursday, 2020 will set a record for the lowest maximum temperature recorded for the month.

This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the coldest April on record altogether, said Matthew Kramar, an NWS meteorologist. But if the temperature never rises above 72 degrees for the entire month, “it was a relatively cold April, by climatological standards,” he said.

Wednesday may break streak

Forecasts for Wednesday, however, suggest the temperature may rise into the low 70s.

The weather this month has been unusual compared to Aprils of past years, Kramar said. Normally, winds from the southwest would be carrying warmer air to the region, he said. Instead, low-pressure air continues to sit over much of the northeast, bringing in colder air from the north.

“The weather pattern has been much more similar to patterns we see in the winter than what we see in the spring,” he said.

The rain levels in April have been high, Kramar said, but within typical April standards.