Should it still be snowing in April?

Today winter seemed to make a comeback as snowflakes blanketed the skies early this morning.  After stretches of warm spring-like weather, this round of cold air reminded folks that Old Man Winter can return at any time here in Michiana.

South Bend sits on the 41.5° latitude which means we are far enough North to see snow, even in April.  This morning the South Bend International Airport picked up over a half inch of snow but other folks around Michiana reported a couple inches of snow.  The flakes quickly tapered off to scattered, light, rain showers, but left the day cold and windy.

Our weather team took a closer look at what is typical for snowfall and April in the area.  Normally at least one inch of snow is expected for this month.  History shows us that April snow showers are not uncommon for our area.  The map below from the National Weather Service shows the average snow across the area for this month (data average from 1981-2010)

This was nowhere near the biggest April snowfall for South Bend.  Big snowstorms are not common for April but in 1982, 14 inches of snow fell, which is the most it has ever snowed in April since the 1980s.  

The big question is this:  Will this finally be the last snow for the season?  History would say yes.  Generally, the last snowfall of the season is on April 3rd.  One good thing about April snows however is that they usually melt fairly quickly.  

The next several days look to be snow-free as well.  You can always check the latest forecast at abc57.com/weather.