April 2018 is expected to be the coldest month of April in the U.S. since reliable record keeping began in 1895.
The historically low spring temperatures have created problems for farmers in the northern plains and Midwest as the unseasonably cold soil prevents them from planting their crops on time.
Agricultural experts expect that, as in years past, the cold spring temperatures portend a lower yield when farmers harvest in the fall.
Astonishingly, much of the northern plains and Northeast was colder than Anchorage, Alaska in the first half of April.
A winter storm in mid-April sealed the month as the snowiest on record in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., Sioux Falls, S.D., Green Bay, Wis., Wausau, Wis., and Alpena, Mich.
How cold has it been this month? Through the first half of April a large swath of the Lower 48 was warmer than Anchorage, Alaska. A sizable area was even colder than Fairbanks, Alaska! @AlaskaWx pic.twitter.com/g4biThou0D
— Brian Brettschneider (@Climatologist49) April 17, 2018
In fact, Green Bay, Wis. doubled its previous snow record of 15.1 inches, which was set in 1907.
Current snow drift measurement at the office: approximately as tall as a 6′ forecaster. pic.twitter.com/wb5qg3dtXr
— NWS Green Bay (@NWSGreenBay) April 15, 2018
With four days still remaining in the month, April is all-but-guaranteed to be the coldest on record for the U.S.