A warm, dry spring continued in California and the Northwest, but parts of the Southwest gained a temporary, stormy reprieve from a drought set to enter its fifth year. Wet conditions extended as far east as the southern Plains and the Rio Grande Valley, but mostly dry weather prevailed across the northern Plains. Farther east, a narrow band of wetness extended from the Ozark Plateau into the Northeast, wedged between drier-than-normal conditions across most of the Midwest and Southeast. Despite large day-to-day fluctuations, April temperatures averaged within a few degrees of normal. The warmest conditions, relative to normal, were observed in northern California and the Northwest, where readings averaged up to 5°F above normal. Warmer-than-normal weather also prevailed across the northern Plains and the Midwest. In contrast, temperatures averaged as much as 2°F below normal in the southern Rockies and Rio Grande valley and ranged from 2 to 4°F below normal in much of Florida and southern portions of Georgia and Alabama.
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