Taste of summer

This past week saw summer-like weather visit across the region with warm sunny days and not much in the way of rain.
Temperatures rose into the upper 70s and low to mid 80s, far above the average of 70 degrees. April closed out 5 degrees above average for the month and continued the warm trend for the year so far. Our high for the month was 85 degrees on the 29th and the low was 29 on the 7th.
While hiking on the Yough Trail in Connellsville this week we saw a few swimmers jumping off the pier into the water although on that day temperatures were just in the 60s, however, when young, who cares about temperatures?
Rainfall for the month totaled 6.67 inches most of which fell in the first 10 days. The average for April is 3.77 inches making for 2.90 inches above our normal.
As we move into May, temperatures in the Uniontown area start out averaging 45 in the morning and 70 by afternoon. By month’s end we see 54 for the low and 78 for our high. Records are a high of 93 and a low of 23 on May 1st 1978. Normally the city areas do not see freezing or below after the 1st, however the above record was for the city of Uniontown.
Safe planting dates outside the city are the 15th and in the mountains not until the 30th of the month. May snows are rare, however on May 1st 1963 two inches fell. May 10th, 1954, produced about a half inch and a trace was reported as late as May 30 1953.
Looking ahead, the Climate Prediction Center is looking for the return of a La Nina weather pattern for the summer which should set the stage for above-normal temperatures for almost all of the country except North Dakota and parts of Minnesota and Montana.
This will also more than likely produce an active Atlantic Hurricane season .In the short term the scientists at the Center are also forecasting May to see above normal temperatures in our area and rainfall about average.
An article in the Guardian this week discussed Project 2025 which would eliminate NOAA and disband the weather and climate services, including the data that all weather forecasts rely on for their forecasts. The project would also eliminate the work of climate science and tailor weather to business interests.
NOAA the National Ocean and Atmospheric Association has a long history of providing reliable data used in all weather forecasts even the ones made by private weather services.
The Climate Prediction Center scientists are the ones who have discovered the La Nina and El Nino weather patterns that influence so much of our weather. These are the scientists who seek the truth about climate change.
We should listen to what they have to say, and their research and expertise suggest they have much better answers than the politicians.