Several Michigan cities broke or tied longstanding temperature records on April 29, the National Weather Service said.
Detroit, Alpena and Flint residents experienced record heat, the NWS said, in addition to high winds on April 29.
“A record high temperature of 86 degrees was set at Detroit, MI yesterday,” the National Weather Service said. “This breaks the old record of 83 degrees set in 1899.”
In Flint, the previous record was surpassed by 2 degrees. Officials reported a high of 84 degrees on April 29, which breaks the old record of 82 set in 1942, the NWS said.
In Alpena, the temperature hit 80 — tying the record set in 1941, 1957 and 2004.
Here’s more on the spring heat in Michigan:
How warm did it get on April 29?
Houghton Lake: 75 degrees
Sault Ste. Marie: 60 degrees
Traverse City: 79 degrees
What temperatures in Michigan are normal in April?
Spring — a transition season — offers a variety of weather, so 70- to 80-degree weather, particularly in the Lower Peninsula is typical.
“April is a popular time for Midwest cities to see temperatures rise to 80 or higher for the first time in spring,” The Weather Channel said. “The last freeze of the season normally isn’t until mid-April in Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis. This also coincides closely with the average first 80-degree day.”
In April 2024, much of the U.S. saw above-average temperatures, with near-average temperatures observed in the Upper Midwest, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said.
Michigan already experienced a relatively warm (and windy) March with some cities like Alpena and Marquette breaking or tying previous maximum temperature records.
Will Michigan see warm temperatures in May 2025?
U.S. map showing a 3-4 week temperature outlook for May.
Both the Upper and Lower Peninsula are expected to see a 55-60% chance of above normal temperatures starting on May 10 through May 23, based on the NWS prediction Center.
Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan cities set temperature records. How warm it got on April 29