Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Northern Indiana
Issued by NWS Northern Indiana
973
CXUS53 KIWX 012101
CLMFWA
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
501 PM EDT FRI MAY 01 2026
...................................
...THE FORT WAYNE CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2026...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1897 TO 2026
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 90 04/11/1930
04/29/1899
LOW 7 04/07/1982
HIGHEST 83 04/13 MM MM 84 04/24
04/14
04/29
LOWEST 26 04/07 MM MM 23 04/08
AVG. MAXIMUM 67.2 60.9 6.3 62.8
AVG. MINIMUM 44.9 39.4 5.5 39.9
MEAN 56.1 50.2 5.9
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 3 6.9 -3.9 7
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 7.39 2024
MINIMUM 0.72 1946
TOTALS 5.52 3.74 1.78 3.90
DAILY AVG. 0.18 0.12 0.06 0.13
DAYS >= .01 17 13.2 3.8 10
DAYS >= .10 9 7.7 1.3 6
DAYS >= .50 3 2.4 0.6 3
DAYS >= 1.00 1 0.8 0.2 1
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.95 03/31 TO 04/01
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 11.7 1961
TOTALS 0.0 0.8 -0.8 T
SINCE 7/1 35.8 33.6 2.2 14.8
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0
DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.3 -0.3 0
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 0 0
24 HR TOTAL 0.0
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 291 452 -161 410
SINCE 7/1 5460 5767 -307 5220
COOLING TOTAL 30 7 23 9
SINCE 1/1 34 8 26 9
................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 12.2
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 46/220 DATE 04/13
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 61/210 DATE 04/13
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.70
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 1
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 14
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 15
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 70
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 11 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 7 RAIN 8
LIGHT RAIN 19 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 1
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 16 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 4
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
...DROUGHT-BUSTING RAIN; 14TH WETTEST AND 3RD WARMEST APRIL ON
RECORD...
A PROGRESSIVE UPPER-AIR PATTERN RESULTED IN A NUMBER OF STORMS AND
HEAVY RAIN THIS MONTH. RIGHT AWAY, THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF APRIL
BROUGHT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND 1.90 INCHES OF RAIN. THIS RESULTED
IN IMMEDIATE RISES ON AREA CREEKS AND STREAMS SENDING THEM INTO
MINOR OR EVEN MODERATE FLOOD STAGE. AS WATER LEVELS RECEDED, AN
ADDITIONAL 1.32 INCHES OF RAIN FELL FROM THE 13TH THROUGH 18TH,
RESULTING IN RENEWED RISES ON AREA WATER WAYS. ONE MORE WALLOP OF
HEAVY RAIN OCCURRED ON THE 27TH, 1.52 INCHES, WHICH WAS A NEW RECORD
FOR THE DAY, SURPASSING 1.14 INCHES IN 1959. ONE TORNADO WAS
CONFIRMED IN THE REGION; AN EF1 TORNADO WENT THROUGH DOWNTOWN
DEFIANCE, OH ON APRIL 4TH. WITH SUCH AN ACTIVE APRIL FOR SEVERE
WEATHER, NWS NORTHERN INDIANA ISSUED 58 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS
AND 6 TORNADO WARNINGS ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA, FAR SOUTHERN
MICHIGAN, AND NORTHWEST OHIO. THIS IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE PREVIOUS
RECORD FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS FOR OUR FORECAST AREA, WHICH
WAS 28 IN 2001.
TOTAL RAINFALL THIS MONTH WAS 5.52 INCHES. THIS RANKS AS THE 14TH
WETTEST APRIL ON RECORD AND IS THE WETTEST APRIL SINCE 7.39 INCHES
FELL IN 2024. THIS SURPLUS OF RAINFALL OFFERED A WELCOME REPRIEVE
FROM DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS NORTHEAST INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO.
MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT IN AUGUST OF 2025 ACCORDING
TO THE US DROUGHT MONITOR AND DROUGHT WORSENED TO SEVERE AND EVEN
EXTREME DROUGHT BY SEPTEMBER 2025. THE WORST DROUGHT SINCE 2012 IN
ALLEN COUNTY, IN PERSISTED THROUGH THE WINTER MONTHS UNTIL A SURPLUS
OF RAINFALL IN MARCH AND NOW INTO APRIL AS WELL HELPED TO ERASE THE
DROUGHT COMPLETELY.
WHILE THERE WERE EPISODES OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES, INCLUDING AT
LEAST ONE FROSTY MORNING (26 DEGREES ON APRIL 7), TEMPERATURES WERE
UNSEASONABLY WARM FOR THE MONTH. THE WARMEST DAYS WERE APRIL 13TH
AND 14TH WITH A HIGH OF 83 DEGREES BOTH DAYS. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 56.1 DEGREES RANKS AS THE 3RD WARMEST ON RECORD AND
IS THE WARMEST SINCE 2010. SEVERAL TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE SET THIS
MONTH:
-RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURE OF 62 DEGREES ON THE 13TH (PREVIOUS
RECORD WAS 58, 1955)
-TIED RECORD HIGH OF 83 ON THE 14TH (1941)
-RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURE OF 65 DEGREES ON THE 14TH (PREVIOUS
RECORD WAS 59, 1941)
-RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURE OF 64 DEGREES ON THE 15TH (PREVIOUS
RECORD WAS 61 SET IN 2002)
NO SNOW WAS RECORDED THIS MONTH, WHICH IS 0.8 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.
THIS WAS THE 4TH CONSECUTIVE APRIL WITHOUT MEASURABLE SNOW. THIS WAS
THE 10TH TIME ON RECORD THAT NO SNOW (NOT EVEN A TRACE) WAS RECORDED
IN FORT WAYNE IN APRIL.
BROWN/JOHNSON
$$