Massachusetts April Showers Could Make for a Wetter Than Average Month

We have heard the saying over and over:

April showers bring May flowers.

First off, where did the saying come from? Is it true? And if so, how will the SouthCoast fare this year? I called someone in the know about weather to ask these important questions.

ABC6 meteorologist Tim Studebaker shed some light on the subject but it turns out there is a lot left to interpret.

When asked about the age-old saying, Studebaker, emphasizing he's not an expert on the history, offered this tidbit:

"The answer is not clear-cut. Some attribute the quote to a British poet who lived in the 1500s named Thomas Tusser. Multiple sources point to him as saying: 'Sweet April showers do spring May flowers.' They claim the saying was included in a 1557 farming manual written in poetry form called 'A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie.'"

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So, how can we apply this to April 2022? I feel like we have had our share of moisture so far, but Studebaker has information to prove otherwise.

The Providence-based meteorologist had this to say regarding April rainfall:

"As far as the precipitation outlook is concerned, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has our area highlighted as 'leaning above average' for the month of April. This means there's a signal for above-average precipitation for the month, but it's not a strong signal."

In other words, it's rainy but could be rainier.

On its website, NOAA said "a much wetter than average April is most likely" for the Northeast. A NOAA map shows Massachusetts and Rhode Island hovering around a 50% chance of a wetter than normal month.

Great. That wasn't really the answer any of us were looking for. That said, I'll take warmer temperatures and rain over snow any day. We still have a little over half the month to go, so it remains to be seen just how much moisture we'll get.

Sun and temperatures above 65 degrees are expected through Saturday. Early showers are expected on Easter morning, sun later, with a high of 56 degrees, according to ABC6.

Does anyone else have deeper knowledge about the "April showers" saying? Let us know. And check out the latest forecast here.