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I should add that spring in the PNW is very long and fall is very short. April temps rise slowly throughout the month and October temps drop quickly. Sometimes you get an April where 1-15 is rainy and 16-30 is dry, and reversed for October.
April 1 average = 59º/42º
April 30 average = 64º/45º
October 1 average = 70º/49º
October 31 average = 58º/43º
It has never snowed in either month since 1940 (PDX airport data).
Yes. I've heard that October has the largest temperature change of any month in Seattle. On average August is the warmest month while December is the coldest. Also, spring tends to be more unstable than fall. April in Seattle and Portland have a higher mean maximum and a lower mean minimum than October, despite October's averages changing more through the month, if you get what I mean.
I think I prefer April overall because it is sunnier with more daylight and it comes straight out of winter. But the questions in the title and the poll are different so I can't vote. October is objectively warmer.
Both are very similar in our area, weather-wise, but I prefer October. I like the leaves changing colors, drinking cider, fall festivals, and football season. The two months seemed even more similar before spring ahead and the start of DST was pushed back first into early April, then early-mid March. Back then, the transition between winter and spring seemed more natural and gradual, rather than being rushed from the grip of winter into evenings that had daylight equal to late summer. The sunset times for April and October were almost identical back then, much like the weather for the two months.
October by a long shot. Partially due to seasonal lag from the Great Lakes. The southerly winds actually make the weather COOLER in April because the lake is only around 2-4C at that time, while in October it is 12-14C.
Whenever there is a south or east wind in April Toronto can be 3-4C cooler than its suburbs and even Ottawa.
How warmer is October than April?
2013: +4.5C (15.6 vs 11.1)
2014: +4.0C (15.1 vs 11.1)
2015: +1.3C (14.4 vs 13.1)
2016: +6.1C (16.0 vs 9.9)
2017: +4.0C (18.5 vs 14.5)
2018: +5.0C (13.0 vs 8.0)
That was especially evident early in the Blue Jays' history when warm weather teams would come up for games at the X in April. Weren't quite a few early season games snowed out back then?
The reason October tends to be warmer for many areas (especially for coastal areas) in the northern hemisphere is because you still have warmer waters left over from summer that are trying to cool, whereas in April you still have cooler waters that are still trying to warm, hence more seasonal lag. I imagine more continental areas with drier dews away from the water see less seasonal lag and have colder Octobers.
But I think that the rule is that October is warmer than April on a global scale, not just at coastal areas. What then would be reason for non-coastal locations?
But I think that the rule is that October is warmer than April on a global scale, not just at coastal areas. What then would be reason for non-coastal locations?
The influence of the previous season. It takes a while for the warmth of summer to fade out, just like for the cold of winter.
April is far colder on average than October despite the higher sun angle and daylight hours which are equivalent to August. In October we still have leaves on the trees and temps are still mild/warm so it can still feel like Summer at times. Whereas April can still be wintry and we almost never have leaves on the trees. The lakes and oceans are still cold from winter as well which can slow down warming. The only thing April has over October is daylight hours and sun angle.
October is almost always warmer than April in the Indianapolis area; a prime example of such a fact is Indianapolis had winter weather last April and summer like conditions into October 2018
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