# March Windy? April Showers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-windy-april-showers/493685 "2009-04-20T02:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-windy-april-showers/493685/1 "2009-04-20T02:00:18Z")
I have been wondering something for quite some time now. It is so cliché now I don’t even need a cite. March is (supposedly) a windy month. April is supposedly a month with alot of rain, i.e., April Showers. I guess my question is twofold: (1) Where did this idea come from? And if true, (2) Why is March windy and why is April rainy? Thank you in advance to all who reply:) ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-windy-april-showers/493685/2 "2009-04-20T04:07:19Z")
I take it you’ve never lived between the [Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperate_climate)? ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-windy-april-showers/493685/3 "2009-04-20T04:16:33Z")
Here’s some more specifics: > **[April shower](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_showers_(weather_phenomenon))** > > In parts of the Northern Hemisphere, an April shower is rain during the month of April. One of the major causes of the often heavy downpours is the position of the jet stream. In early spring, the jet stream starts to move northwards, allowing large depressions to bring strong winds and rain in from the Atlantic. In one day the weather can change from springtime sunshine to winter sleet and snow. The track of these depressions can often be across Ireland and Scotland bringing bands of rain fol ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-windy-april-showers/493685/4 "2009-04-20T04:19:24Z")
Don’t know about March Wind, but the full phrase for April showers is “April Showers bring May flowers”. Seems it dates back to [1557](http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/46/messages/268.html).It’s based on actual observation though, and it’s especially noticeable in the UK, since they often get heavy spring showers during April, due to the jet stream. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-windy-april-showers/493685/5 "2009-04-20T04:55:36Z")
We learned in elementary that March is “in like a lion and out like a lamb,” referring to the wind. With the wind (and snow?!) we’ve seen this April, that’s most certainly not the case. Let’s blame global warming, the economy, or Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-windy-april-showers/493685/6 "2009-04-20T14:49:31Z")
We’ve had a windy March and a rainy April.