April Colder Than March...A Very Rare Bird Indeed!

I could find only one year when looking back into monthly records at Detroit (back to 1870) where March was warmer than April and that was over a century ago, back in 1907! While the official data sample is shorter at Flint, unofficially March of 1907 was warmer than April there too. At Saginaw however; it has never happened, looking back to 1900 at the monthly means! Oh, it did come close with March 1907 just 0.7 of a degree lower than April 1907 but still; no cigar. 

STATION                    March 1907            April 1907           March 2012           April 2012

DETROIT	39.2	39.1	50.7	49.4
FLINT	37.5	36.3	49.5	47.3
SAGINAW	37.0	37.8	48.0	46.9
SE MICH	37.9	37.7	49.4	47.9

The normal or average temperature for April at Detroit is 49.2; while Flint and Saginaw average temperatures are duplicates with 46.1 degrees.

What is even more outstanding this time; it is by a much larger margin than in 1907 at Detroit! Looking back at 1907, the temperature difference was just a tiny 0.1 degree; so pretty much duplicate temperature months and "non-detectable". However; this past March's and April's temperature difference is more to crow about! When looking at the temperature chart for the two years; Detroit's average temperature difference between March and April amounts to 1.3 degrees as opposed to the miniscule .1 of a degree in 1907. Over at Flint; the difference between March's 2012 average temperature and April's comes in comfortably over two degrees with a difference of 2.2! In Saginaw, the difference between March's and April's temperatures amounts to 1.1 degrees. And lastly; across all of Southeast Lower Michigan between March and April 2012 average temperatures, the difference amounts to 1.5 degrees with March averaging 49.4 as opposed to April's 47.9.

Another notable standout in Southeast Lower Michigan between the two time periods -1907 and 2012 -  are the temperatures themselves! Even though March of 1907 was indeed warmer (and above average) across Southeast Lower Michigan it was rather weakly (when compared to this year) with just 37.9 degrees. The average temperature this March was close to an incredible 50 degrees with 49.4! Looking ahead into April; April of 1907 was down right cold with a stinkin' average temperature of just 37.7 degrees or nearly ten degrees below the normal of 47.1 across all of Southeast Lower Michigan. With the average temperature of  just 39.1 at Detroit, April of 1907 was the second coldest April on record. It was the coldest April on record at Saginaw with the average temperature of  37.8 and unofficially at Flint; April 1907 was also the coldest with a pitiful average temperature of just 36.3! Even though this April was cooler than March; you had much more room to work with; with that near 50 degree average of March! April's average temperature across the region is 47.9 just a smidgin above normal; but still ABOVE normal compared to the well below normal of April of 1907.