A Brief Climatology of the Best Day of the Year

For legions of Phillies fans around the Delaware Valley, opening day is a day like no other.  The optimism of a new season, the fresh smell of concessions at the ballpark, the crack of the bat as it makes contact with the ball.  For many it signalizes the official start of spring, even if it already occurred astronomically a few weeks before.  But as we all know, the transition months of March and April can have extremely volatile weather conditions:  80 and sunny one day, 40 with a rain-snow mix the next.  In preparation for Opening Day tomorrow, let’s take a look back at how the Phillies fared weather-wise during the past several openers.

We’ll be looking back through 2004 because the Phillies have opened their season at home five out of the past seven years (from 2005 to 2009) and in two other cities in the Mid-Atlantic.  In 2004, they opened at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and this year they’ll be opening in Washington against the Nationals.  In the years prior, the team opened their seasons in Atlanta, Miami, and Phoenix, thus the limitation to 2004.  Here’s what we’ve dug up from the climate record:

4/5/2010, Away vs. Washington:  Forecast high of 77 with no rain.
4/5/2009, Home vs. Atlanta:  High of 67 with no rain (Phillies lost).
3/31/2008, Home vs. Washington:  High of 58 with no rain (Phillies lost).
4/2/2007, Home vs. Atlanta:  High of 78 with 0.10” of rain (Phillies lost).
4/3/2006, Home vs. St. Louis:  High of 57 with 0.32” of rain (Phillies lost).
4/4/2005, Home vs. Washington:  High of 62 with no rain (Phillies won).
4/5/2004, Away vs. Pittsburgh:  High of 41 with no rain (Phillies lost).

The normal high for the beginning of April in Philadelphia is in the upper 50s, with a normal low around 40.  In that sense, temperatures for recent openers have been unseasonably warm, good news for hitters in a hitter-friendly ballpark like Citizens Bank Park.  Monday will be no exception with temperatures pushing 80 under bright, sunny skies in Washington.  As a side note, if you’re heading to DC for the game, make time to stop by the Mall to witness the spectacle that is the cherry blossom.  The annual festival is going on right now.
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