April is typically a month of great temperature variability, and that was certainly the case this past month - we had six days when the high temperature barely reached 50^oF, but also a handful of days when readings soared above 80^oF!

As we work into May, however, that kind of temperature variability lessens, simply because the sun is getting higher and higher in the sky and thus plays a much more commanding role over temperature. From today until the end of the month, we'll add nearly a full hour of daylight, so that by June 1, nights will be only about 9 hours long. With so much daylight, it's tough to have a really chilly day in May - it usually takes a brisk east or northeast wind, bringing air inland off the Atlantic Ocean or Delaware Bay, which are still in the 50s most of the month.

Of course, the warming atmosphere also means an increasing risk of thunderstorms, so it's a good time of year to remind ourselves that although only a few thunderstorms produce damaging winds or hail, every thunderstorm poses a danger because of lightning.