We all know the phrase, “Do April Showers Bring May Flowers?” but what does it mean and where did it come from? Normally, April is when the last round of snow turns to all rain and as temperatures rise, the sun angle goes higher, an increased shower activity can spark the beginning of flowers and plants blooming. The saying “April showers bring May flowers” actually originates from the United Kingdom, where April for them is one of the wetter months based on the position of the jet stream. Since this area typically has a cooler climate, the lower temperatures often push back the appearance of flowers to late April and early May. The phrase is also believed to come from an early poem with a line that goes, “Sweet April showers, do spring May flowers.” In NYC, April is not the rainiest month of the year, and over the last few years the most rainfall has been recorded during the summer months of severe and hurricane season.

Despite the phrase, we’ve been below normal precipitation for the month of March and that trend may take us into April. One of the potential impacts for the lack of precipitation is drought conditions worsening. According to the drought monitor, drought levels are between abnormally dry to moderate. This means an elevated risk of fire danger, crop growth, planting is delayed, lawns brown early and even wildfires and ground fires increase. NOAA’s Climate Predicition Center has updated its precipitation outlook for the month of April. It states near normal precipitation is likely for April. However, above normal precipitation will help put a deficit in the drought levels across the tri state. The precipitation outlook for April 5th 2022 - April 11th 2022 shows above normal precipitation across the tri-state, which should help with drought conditions. In recent years, the longest duration of drought in New York lasted 64 weeks beginning June 23, 2020 and ending on Sept. 7, 2021.

If this trend persists, drought conditions will worsen and put an early start to the Spring fire season. An extended period of drought can also delay flowers blooming. Your News 12 Storm Watch Team will continue to keep you alert, weather aware and safe for any weather conditions across the tri state.