Yet again, Michiana saw snow fall from the clouds. And, despite the fact that it's April 9th, many surfaces saw a white coating through the morning hours. So, how late into the spring can this type of pattern linger? Unfortunately, it can last into May. Believe it or not, we have seen accumulating snow as late as May 11th! That, of course, is an outlier and is very, very rare.
Since 1894, South Bend has only seen eleven May days with measurable snow; only three of those snowfalls amounted to at least one inch. That comes out to 0.078% of all May days seeing snow accumulate to at least one inch. In other words, it's extremely rare. Only once has South Bend seen a significant snowfall during the month of May. An unprecedented 10" of snow fell in South Bend thanks to a strong spring storm system on May 3, 1929.
For the remainder of April, though, snow is not quite as unheard of. Dating back to 1894, South Bend has seen measurable snow 191 times. That comes out to roughly 5% of all April days seeing at least a tenth of an inch of snowfall. It's still a rarity to see snow accumulate in April, but it is nowhere near as rare as it is in May. Looking ahead, it does appear as though there will be a couple more opportunities to see flakes fly in Michiana. Yes, 70s are in the forecast for later this week, but cold air looks to move back in behind the system responsible for eventually bringing us those 70s.
