One could describe the weather that we saw in Cincinnati during April as a roller coaster ride. Temperatures were all over the board and rainfall amounts were up and down as well.
The start of April was extremely warm as we saw temperatures that were 15+ degrees above average, sitting into the mid 70s. However, days after we were well below normal by 15 degrees with highs in the mid 40s.
As a whole, we saw six days of 80°+ in Cincinnati this April, which is the most we have seen since 2017 brought us eight days. April 2024 finishes as the 16th warmest April on record in Cincinnati with an average high of 57.4°, which is nearly three degrees above our normal.
Let's put a bow on April! It finishes as the 16th warmest April on record in Cincinnati after finishing with an average temperature of 57.4°. We had a range of high temperatures as cold as 45° (Apr 4) to as high as 85° (Apr 15). We hit 80° six times too! @WCPO #WCPO #Cincywx pic.twitter.com/Ky9FwKLi2P
— Brandon Spinner WCPO (@wxSpinner89) May 1, 2024
April also started out with a bang when it came to rainfall. The first 12 days of April saw 3.73" of rainfall from storms and severe weather. This even led to some flooding concerns across the Ohio River with the river nearly reaching minor flood stage twice.
OHIO RIVER FLOODING. The River Flood Warning is no longer in effect, but water levels still remain high along the OH River. A crest of 51.8' (just below flood stage of 52') is expected early MON AM. However, more rainfall is possible later this week. #WCPO @WCPO #Cincywx pic.twitter.com/KdN3Dk94hD
— Brandon Spinner WCPO (@wxSpinner89) April 7, 2024
However, the final 18 days of the month only combined for 1.22", with most of that (0.70") falling on the morning of April 30. Overall, the month finished slightly above normal, +0.42", in rainfall comparative to normal. Our 4.95" of rain in April ranks as the 32nd wettest in Cincinnati's record books.
Now fast forward to May. It is already opening up warmer than normal as our temperatures for May 1 and 2 are expected to be into the low 80s and that warmth looks like it will continue all month long. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC)'s monthly temperature outlook for our area is forecasting a warmer than normal month here for the Tri-State.
In addition to the month looking to be warmer than normal, the CPC is also expecting our area to experience a wetter than normal month of May.
For perspective, the average rainfall in May for Cincinnati is 4.67" of rain. Five of our last seven Mays (2017-2023) have finished with more rainfall compared to normal. The only two that did not were 2018 and 2023.
This year has been a wild one so far and is off to one of the warmest starts on record in Cincinnati. Our average temperature of 44.7° during that span ranks as the 10th warmest and the forecast doesn't look like that warming is going to slow down anytime soon.
