How Common is April Snow?
Just how common is snow in the spring? Well, March is typically a snowy month in terms of total snowfall, but once you get into late March and April, snowfall averages decrease dramatically.
Average April Snowfall:
- Bridgeport, CT – 0.9 inches
- Danbury, CT – 1.6 inches
- Bradley Airport – 1.9 inches
But what does that mean? Just because CT averages snow in April, does not mean that it snows every April.
Probability of Snow in April:
(Shore) Sikorsky Airport – 25% (16 out of last 65 years)
(Inland) Bradley Airport – 52% (57 out of 110 years)
Basically, you could say the shoreline would expect snow in April once every four years, while inland sections would be closer to every other year. It’s those rare years that see heavy snow in April that seem to inflate the averages.
Top daily snowfalls in April for Bradley Airport:
- 14.1″ on April 6th, 1982
- 11.4″ on April 1st, 1997
- 6.8″ on April 2nd, 1924
- 6.0″ on 4/3/1915, 4/9/1907 and 4/10/1996
Top Daily Snowfalls in April for Sikorsky Airport:
- 6.0″ on April 6th, 1982
- 4.7″ on April 10th, 1996
- 4.0″ on April 1st, 1997
- 3.7″ on April 14th, 1950
As you can see, all of the heavy snowfalls here fell during the first two weeks of April. So, if you are hoping for more snow, hope that it comes soon. Once we get into late April and beyond, snow is very uncommon in Connecticut.
What about the latest snows on record? Well, Sikorsky Airport has never recorded more than a trace of snow in May and Bradley Airport has only seen measurable snow once, with 1.3″ on May 9th, 1977
What would be equivalent to the October snow from 2011?
Statistically, the 12.3″ snowfall from October 30th, 2011 at Bradley airport would be about equivalent to 12.3″ falling on April 29th!
For Sikorsky Airport, 4.0″ from October 30th matches up with 4.0″ on April 30th.
Image courtesy of PSU Meteorology’s NARR archive: link
