After a soggy April filled with severe weather across much of the country, Denton County emerged warmer than normal — and largely spared from the worst of the storms.
Despite frequent rain, the county’s average high temperature for April was 77 degrees, nearly 3 degrees above the climatological norm of 74. Overnight lows averaged 67 degrees, about 5 degrees warmer than normal. The coolest morning dipped to a chilly 35 degrees on April 19.
The rainfall, however, was a welcome change. Denton Enterprise Airport recorded over 3 inches during the first week of April, followed by another round of showers and storms that added well over an inch. That brought the monthly total to 5.01 inches — about 2.6 inches above the normal monthly average of 2.5 inches.
While North Texas benefited from the rain, other parts of the country experienced significant severe weather outbreaks.
A minor outbreak April 11 produced a radar-indicated tornado north of Abilene, though Denton County saw no direct impacts. A stronger storm system stalled over the central United States for several days, producing life-threatening tornadoes and flooding from Missouri to Iowa and as far northeast as New York. North Texas avoided most of the severe activity.
A second outbreak April 17 was more intense, generating 121 tornado reports across Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin, along with 469 wind reports and 288 hail reports, including 30 classified as large hail. In Texas, high wind reports were limited to areas near Wichita Falls and Bridgeport in Wise County.
A third outbreak later in the month produced what may become one of the most documented tornadoes in recent years — the Enid tornado. The storm caused significant damage in southeast Enid, Okla., and struck Vance Air Force Base. At least 10 injuries were reported.
On the evening of April 25, two tornadoes touched down in Parker and Wise counties, causing two fatalities.
Looking ahead, the Climate Prediction Center is forecasting warmer- and wetter-than-normal conditions across most of Texas through mid-May. A strengthening high-pressure system over the Pacific is expected to keep conditions relatively calm, though not entirely storm-free. Current patterns suggest fewer widespread severe weather events, but isolated storms remain possible.
Here’s a special invitation to WeatherCon on Saturday, May 2, at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas. The free event begins at 9:30 a.m. and will feature speakers including Storm Prediction Center Forecast Operations Director Bill Bunting and intrepid storm-chaser, meteorologist and structural engineer Tim Marshall. A special video presentation on the 1997 Jarrell tornado–the second strongest tornado behind the Moore, Okla. EF-5 in 1999– will also be shown. Admission and parking are free. Come out and say Hi!
