April showers? A surprising springtime rain trend covers Canada
The old saying tells us that April is a very rainy month. Does it hold water?
We love a good rhyme in the weather world. Kids learn from a young age that “April showers bring May flowers.”
This old phrase is partially responsible for April’s reputation as a very rainy month.
But how true is it?
DON’T MISS: What’s the wettest month in your corner of Canada?
Normal springtime weather across Canada
Spring is a volatile time of year because of sharp temperature gradients.
Rapid warmth down south clashes with the bitter chill of winter lingering over the northern latitudes. This intense contrast strengthens the jet stream, giving rise to large and robust low-pressure systems.
Warmer air can hold more moisture, allowing those sprawling spring storms to generate major snowfall, severe thunderstorms, and heavy rains.
Springtime systems kicking into high gear can give the impression that April is an exceptionally rainy month, but the data doesn’t exactly back that up.
April isn’t any major Canadian city’s rainiest month
No major cities across Canada experience their highest average rainfall during the month of April. Really!
Starting from west to east, that honour goes to November in Vancouver as atmospheric rivers wash ashore.
The summer months are rainiest for most major cities across the Prairies and Great Lakes. Looking farther east, major cities from Montreal to St. John’s typically record their wettest month in the autumn.
In fact, based on the latest climate normals, April tends to be the driest month of the year in Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and P.E.I.'s Charlottetown.
Looking beyond for rainy April weather
Surely someone who grew up with the “April showers” line has a stereotypically rainy April, right?
A handful of cities in the United States do pick up their greatest rainfall during the fourth month of the year.
Salt Lake City averages 55 mm every April, accounting for about 14 per cent of its annual rainfall of 394 mm. Several communities in the Mid-South also see rainy Aprils, including Memphis and Little Rock.
But there’s no luck pretty much anywhere else. No major cities in the United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand see their highest annual rainfall totals in April.
We probably shouldn’t take the saying too literally, anyway.
A short history lesson from Missouri State University says that “April showers bring May flowers” is likely more of a proverb than a forecast, giving hope to the listener that a spell of hard times will give way to a better future ahead.
Header image created using imagery from Canva.