As noted by USDA Agricultural Meteorologist Brad Rippey:

April featured a return to wetter-than-normal conditions across most of the Mountain State, although pockets of below-normal rainfall were noted across the northern tier. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, some abnormally dry (D0) conditions persisted across northwestern West Virginia, including the Northern Panhandle, by month's end. Meanwhile, the wettest conditions, relative to normal, were observed in southern West Virginia, where Beckley (5.40 inches) experienced its eighth-wettest April and wettest since 7.63 inches fell in 1987. Some locations reported 8 consecutive days with measurable rainfall from April 4-11, totaling 3.24 inches in Beckley, 2.72 inches in Elkins, and 2.44 inches in Huntington. Despite the widespread rainfall, severe thunderstorms were infrequent and confined to two outbreaks. Some wind damage was reported in the Northern Panhandle (vicinity of Wheeling) on April 4-5, and hail up to three- quarters of an inch in diameter was observed in Nicholas County on April 30. Between those two events, a line of strong thunderstorms weakened before crossing the Ohio River into West Virginia on the night of April 20-21.

Temperatures averaged at least 2 degrees F above normal across the majority of West Virginia, although cooler-than-normal weather prevailed east of the Appalachians due to a persistent cold- air damming regime. A mid-April warm spell boosted high temperatures into the 75- to 85- degree range across most of the state, resulting in the month's warmest weather at most sites. Little more than a week later, a cool snap brought the season's last freeze in many areas and the lowest temperature of the month in some locations. For example, Charleston's low of 31 degrees F on April 24 represented its lowest temperature of the month and last spring freeze. Farther north, the last spring freeze occurred in Parkersburg on April 27 and in Elkins on April 28. Parts of southwestern West Virginia escaped sub-freezing temperatures for the entire month; thus, Huntington's last spring freeze of 2003 occurred with a low of 29 degrees F on March 31.

             Preliminary Station Data, April 2003*
Temperatures (Degrees F), Precipitation (Inches), and Departures from Normal

Station        Avg   Dep    Hi / Lo Temp (Dates)          Pcpn  Dep       % of Nml
Beckley        53.5  +2.0   78 (15th) / 31 (1st, 24th)    5.40  +1.97     157
Bluefield      53.1  -0.7   76 (16th) / 32 (1st)          3.91  +0.52     115
Charleston     57.4  +3.1   83 (15th) / 31 (24th)         3.40  +0.15     105
Elkins         51.7  +2.8   79 (15th) / 22 (1st)          3.80  +0.27     108
Huntington     58.5  +3.3   83 (15th) / 33 (12th)         4.33  +1.00     130
Martinsburg    52.4  -1.5   84 (15th, 16th) / 24 (1st)    2.92  -0.22     93
Parkersburg    56.3  +2.8   83 (15th) / 29 (24th)         3.33  +0.04     101

Nearby Stns    Avg   Dep    Hi / Lo Temp (Dates)          Pcpn  Dep       % of Nml  Snowfall
Pittsburgh, PA 53.4  +3.5   82 (15th) / 28 (1st)          2.45  -0.56     81        Trace
Blacksburg, VA 52.4  +2.4   79 (16th) / 29 (1st)          4.77  +0.94     125       Trace
Jackson, KY    59.2  +3.0   82 (15th) / 35 (6th)          5.14  +1.35     136       0.0

* Preliminary station data provided by National Weather Service offices in Blacksburg, VA,
Charleston, WV, Pittsburgh, PA, Sterling, VA, and Jackson, KY.