April was characterized by changeable weather typical of spring. Mild periods were interrupted by days with below normal temperatures. The only record was the unseasonably warm low of 52 on the 6th, which broke the old record of 51 set in 1898.
The unsettled weather was the result of a steady progression of upper level ridges and troughs across the inter mountain region.
Unseasonably cold sea surface temperatures and cold air aloft resided off the northwest coast for the entire month, contributing to several cool spells and frosty mornings in Boise.
It was the 16th wettest April since 1878, and the 9th wettest April since 1940, when record keeping began at the Boise airport.
The 0.51 inch of precipitation on the 8th eclipsed the old record for the date of .40 inch set in 1881. This event was caused by an increasingly moist and unstable southwest flow ahead of an upper level offshore trough. The scenario was aided by a relatively weak disturbance moving through the flow ahead of the main trough.
A tenth of an inch of snow fell on the 8th, but there was no accumulation.
It was a breezy month. Nearly half the days had gusts which reached or exceeded 30 mph. The main event was the 53 mph gust from the southwest on the morning of the 7th. Convective showers were forming in moist and unstable
air ahead of a strong cold front. Southwest winds exceeded 40 mph as low as 5000 feet above the surface, and a downdraft from a shower approaching the airport added to this wind as it descended to ground level.
