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WEATHER BLOG: Recapping The Frigid First Week Of April

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was anything but a springlike start to the month of April in the Delaware Valley with more temperatures in the 40s and 50s than the 60s to kick things off in the first 7 days of the month.

As you might expect, the start of the month is just a bit below normal in the Delaware Valley, but it is not just the Philly region that is experiencing the cold, It is basically the whole county with the nation's midsection getting the brunt of the way-too-cold temperatures to kick things off in this 4 month of the year 2018.

Today we are going to dive into how the Philly area stacks up nationally to the colder than normal start, as well as compare this year's first week of April to 2017 when we were downright hot to start out the month. Does everyone have their winter parkas? Ok, good! Let's go!

The first week of April this year felt more like it was coming out of February than the start of the Spring season, and while the early Spring chill is not uncommon this was a bit much for most of us. During the first week of the month, Philly only averaged a high temperature of 56.3°, while bottoming out at an average low of 38.3°.

When we look into the record books, we use the daily average temperature to give us a better indication of how warm or cold the days are, and in the first week of April, the daily average temperature in Philly was only 47.6°. That is way too cold, especially when you think about the fact that we should be averaging highs in the upper 50s to lower 60s during this same time period.

First Week April Graph
Credit: CBS3.

When we look at these numbers in relation to what we had going on in 2017 it is not going to make you feel all that much better about this cold streak we are still going through. Through the same time period in 2017, Philly had an average high of 62.6°, low of 44.9°, and a daily average of 54°. All of those numbers are just over 6° warmer than what we have had to start the month so far in 2018. So needless to say it has been quite chilly especially when we look back just 1 year ago. If that doesn't make you feel cold enough we can look at the nation as a whole and at least feel some solace in the fact we aren't the only one dealing with the colder than normal temperatures.

Across the country, in 2018 we are, much like the Philly area, well below what we were experiencing in 2017. In 2017 the national high-temperature average for the first week of April was 61.1°, the low was 38.5°, and the daily average was 49.8°. Fast-forwarding to 2018 and we see a pretty substantial difference. The average high is only 56.2°, low 31.7°, and daily average 43.9°. Across the board, those averages are anywhere from 4-7° colder in 2018 compared to 2017.

We are not the only ones dealing with the colder weather, it is a national occurrence for this year, and if you want to make yourself feel even a little more extra happiness at someone else expense, the nation's midsection has really taken the brunt of the cold this year, where temperatures to start the month are well over 10° below normal to start the month. When you think about that, our 4.5° below normal trend doesn't seem all that bad.

Here's some good news as we wrap up this discussion of the cold start to the month, and that is that the forecast holds a glimmer of hope with some 70s for us across the region by the end of the week and into the weekend as well.

With all of this talk of cold air just remember to keep the t-shirts handy, you'll likely be able to break them out in just a few days!

Stay warm and have a great Monday!

FORECAST:

THIS AFTERNOON - Mostly Cloudy and Cold with a Shower. High 47

TONIGHT - Scattered Showers Mixing with Wet Snow North and West. Little or No Accumulation. Low 38

TOMORROW - Rain or Wet Snow Shower in the Morning, Then Gradual Clearing. High 52

WEDNESDAY - Mostly Sunny and Milder. High 57

THURSDAY - Mostly Cloudy and Warm. High 66

FRIDAY - Very Warm with Sun and Clouds. High 72

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JERSEY SHORE:

THIS AFTERNOON - Mostly Cloudy. High 45

TONIGHT - Overcast with Spotty Rain Showers, Some Wet Snow Could Mix In. Low 36

TOMORROW -- Mostly Cloudy, Morning Rain Shower. High 50

OCEAN TEMP: 44°
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POCONOS:

THIS AFTERNOON - Mostly Cloudy, Late Day Snow Shower. High 41

TONIGHT - Overcast with Snow Showers, Little or No Accumulation. High 26

TOMORROW - Mostly Cloudy, Spotty Snow Shower Mainly In The Morning. High 46

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