At a Glance

The first half of April has brought record cold to parts of the northern Plains and Midwest.Several cities have seen their snowiest April on record.

Weather conditions in the first half of April were among the worst on record in the northern Plains and Midwest thanks to a combination of persistent cold and multiple bouts of snowfall.

Of course, this all depends on what you favor when it comes to weather conditions. Ifyou likecold temperatures and snow in early spring, then this weather pattern has been a real treat.

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One-Two Punch of Cold and Snow

The first two weeks of April ranked among thefive coldest for dozens of citiesfromMontanaeastward toMichigan.

The cold temperaturesfor that period of time in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Minneapolis/St. Pauland Sioux City, Iowa, according to data from the Southeast Regional Climate Center (SERCC). For Chicago, Kansas Cityand Omaha, Nebraska,it was thefifth-, fourth-and second-coldest April 1 to 14 on record, respectively.

Purple dots are locations that saw a record cold first two weeks of April. The blue dots are locations where the first two weeks of April ranked in the top five coldest.

A sizable swath of the nation from the northern Plains to the interior Northeast was colder than Anchorage, Alaska, during the first half of April, according to a map created by climatologist BrianBrettschneider. Some locations in the upper Midwest and far northern Maine were colder than Fairbanks, Alaska.

Waves of cold air riding a southward dip in the jet stream east of the Rockies have contributed to thiswinterlike early-spring weather across the nation's northern tier.

Given the foundation of cold air in place, several weather systems have been able to spread snow across the Midwest, which has set records, as well.

Thanks to last weekend, April 2018 is now the snowiest April on record in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Wausau, Wisconsin, and Alpena, Michigan.

Green Bay has more than doubled itsApril snow record with 36.2 inches through April 15; the previous April record was 15.1 inches in 1907.

Minneapolis/St. Paul also surpassed its April snow record by a significant margin with 26 inches through April 15. That topsthe previous record of 21.8 inches in April 1983.

The snowiest April on record hasbeen clinched in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, by more than a half-foot. Through April 15, the month-to-date total is 25.2 inches, besting the previous record of 18.4 inches set in 1983.

One could argue that Minneapolis/St. Paul, Sioux Fallsand Green Bay are the locations that have sufferedmost. All three cities have received a one-two punch of record cold in April's first two weeks, as well as theirsnowiest April on record.

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