Are we done with 32 degree lows?

May 3, 09:36 PM

We are certainly enjoying the warmer temperatures spring time has to offer as the sun reaches higher and higher in the sky. Our normal highs are already hovering right around the 70 degree mark. We’ll take it! The trees are budding out, the flowers are reaching high with open petals, and the grass is growing like crazy (unfortunately the weeds are too). But when can we expect to see the last night when our overnight lows drop to 32 degrees or lower? Well, I’m sure glad you asked because I’ve got the answer to that question!

The records date all the way back to 1874 for the Quad Cities, and on average, the last freezing low temperature is April 20th. This year, the last time we have seen temperatures drop to 32 was on April 16th. So if we can make it through the rest of the spring without any cold snaps, we’ll be ahead of the average by a few days. Do we get a trophy for that?

Over the last 135 years of record keeping, the latest date ever to see temperatures at the freezing mark in the QC was set not too long ago, on May 21, 2002. Let’s hope we keep that date as it currently is because I don’t think anybody wants to see anymore freezing temperatures until later in the fall. Thankfully, as we move further and further along into May, the chances of us seeing a 32 degree night is as likely as turning down an ice cream cone at Whitey’s!