April 2025 by the numbers
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The second month of meteorological spring has come and gone, and another 30 days of temperature and precipitation data is in the books.
April 2025 had its fair share of typical temperature swings locally. In St. Joseph, the average high rises from 61 degrees on April 1st to 70 degrees by April 30th.
About 10 days of the month were cooler than normal, with 12 days running warmer than normal. The warmest day was April 13, when the temperature reached 85 degrees. Just over a week earlier, the lowest high—49 degrees—was recorded on both April 4 and 5. Luckily subfreezing temperatures were in short supply, and only took place near the beginning of the month when three early morning lows dipped into the 20s. Likely the last subfreezing temperatures of the season.
Frequent shifts in air masses this time of year can make it hard to fully retire winter coats. Some days call for t-shirts and shorts, while others still require a heavier layer. As we head into May, temperatures are expected to trend near or above average according to the Climate Prediction Center’s 6–10 day and 8–14 day temperature outlooks.
Precipitation trends for the month of April were variable across the show me state. Northwest Missouri ended up with near to below average rainfall totals, including St. Joseph where 2.44 inches of rain fell at Rosecrans Airport. That’s about 1.4 inches below the monthly average of 3.86 inches.The modest rainfall deficit was not enough to introduce drought concerns, although it could prime local soils for drought development in the coming months.
April rainfall was well above normal across middle and southern Missouri this year, as waves of low pressure favored a southerly track across the state more often than not. Episodes of flash flooding and repeated rounds of thunderstorm activity left grounds saturated and waterways swollen throughout the Ozark plateau.
Near normal precipitation trends are forecast for the month of May as a whole, per the Climate Prediction Center’s monthly outlook. This could mean relief for the waterlogged soils south of I-70, but could also allow rainfall deficits to persist locally through the last month of meteorological spring.
