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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 700            For    APRIL    2014
VERY WARM:  EXTENDED DRY SPELL OVER ENGLAND AND WALES FROM 8TH-19TH, THEN SHOWERY
Text Box: with an overnight low of -4.4°C at Aviemore on the 15th, -4.3°C at Tulloch Bridge (Lochaber) on the 18th, and -5.2°C at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire) overnight 19th/20th. Highest daily sunshine totals during this spell were 13.3h at Jersey airport on the 16th, 13.4h at Dyce airport (Aberdeenshire), Gogarbank (Midlothian), Leuchars (Fife) and Ronaldsway (Isle of Man) on the 18th, and 13.5h at Gogarbank on the 19th. Easterly winds dominated during the last ten days of the month, and it became rather cloudy and showery again over England and Wales from the 20th onwards, though it stayed dry and sunny in northern and western Scotland till the 22nd with as much as 14.1h bright sunshine at Kinloss (Morayshire) on the 20th. But central and southern parts of England and Wales were already wet on the 20th with 31mm of rain falling at Dunkeswell (Devon) that day. The 21st was warm in northwest England with 20.9°C at Bridgefoot (Cumbria), but rain fell quite widely on the 25th with extensive mist and fog over high ground. The 28th was very warm in central Scotland with a high of 22.0°C at Aviemore (Inverness-shire), but showers were intense and accompanied by hail and thunder at times over southern England between the 26th and 30th. Mean temperatures were everywhere between 1.0 and 2.5 degC above the average for 1981-2010; in the last 100 years there have been only two warmer Aprils and two with the same mean temperature (as measured by the CET). Rainfall was slightly above average in southern England, but below average in all other regions, markedly so in East Anglia and Northern Ireland; the provisional England and Wales figure of 64mm was 98 per cent of the long-term mean. Sunshine percentages ranged were within 20 per cent of the normal in all regions of the UK, and aggregate sunshine hours varied between 103h at Lerwick (Shetland) and 226h at St Helier (Jersey).
Text Box: Mean sea-level pressure over the British Isles was rather unusual with an anomalous south to southeasterly flow over the British Isles. Mean pressure was fractionally above normal in Shetland but 3.5 mbar below normal in western Ireland. The main anomaly centres were -15 mbar over Novaya Zemblya, -7 mbar in mid-Atlantic, +3 mbar over southern Scandinavia, and +5 mbar over Newfoundland. The first week of April was generally cloudy with sporadic outbreaks of rain: the mean flow until the 3rd was south-easterly, and from the 4th to the 7th south-westerly. Maximum temperatures included 20.5°C at Gravesend/Broadness (Kent) on the 1st and 21.0°C at Frittenden (Kent) on the 2nd but sunshine was in short supply except in northwest Scotland - just 0.4h bright sunshine was the total for the first week at Eskdalemuir (Dumfriesshire) - and nights were particularly warm in southern districts. The overnight low was 12.2°C at Lee-on-Solent (Hants) early on the 2nd and 12.9°C at Gravesend/Broadness early on the 6th. The 2nd also provided the lowest maximum of the month with just 5.2°C at Spadeadam Forest (Cumbria). Air quality was very poor until the 4th, and rain washed out Saharan dust deposits on each of the first three days of April. Heavy rain fell in western Britain on the 5th/6th with a daily total of 41mm at Capel Curig (Gwynedd) on the 5th. Much of Scotland and Northern Ireland continued rather changeable from the 8th to the 19th, though even here the 14th was a completely dry day. But over most parts of England and Wales the weather became mainly dry and largely sunny during this period. A good deal of rain fell at times in western Scotland, with 34mm at Kinlochewe (Wester Ross) on the 11th and 33mm at Cluanie Inn (also Wester Ross) on the 13th, and strongest gusts were at Fair Isle (between Orkney and Shetland) on the 12th. Moderate frost occurred in sheltered glens of Scotland on some nights,
                                                                                                                                             
                       TEMPERATURE                                SUNSHINE                             RAINFALL        
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                          Highest and lowest totals                     Highest and lowest totals        
                                              on record for month    
Maximum fall in 24 hrs (beginning 09 h)
                    on record for month    
Days with snow or sleet
 
Days with fog (Vis <220 yards at 09 h)
 
                                                                                         
     
Difference from average
   
Difference from average
 
Highest maximum
   
Lowest minimum
   
No. of days with grass minimum below 0ºC
   
Days of no sunshine
 
Maximum duration
       
First year of record
         
Days of no rainfall (0.1 mm or less)
         
First year of record
         
Days with thunder
     
       PLACE  
Mean Maximum
   
Mean minimum
             
No. of air frosts
       
Total for month
                   
Total for month
                   
                               
% of average
                   
% of average
                 
                                                                     
                                   
Highest
   
Lowest
 
Year
             
Highest
   
Lowest
 
Year
       
             
Date
   
Date
         
Date
         
Year
         
Date
         
Year
           
                                                                     
      ºC       ºC       ºC       ºC             Hrs       Hrs         Hrs       Hrs       mm       mm         mm     mm          
                                                                                                                                             
  *Hampstead   15.8   +3.1   07.0   +2.3   19.6   21   02.9   19   09   00   01   10.4   16   143   112   1910   240   1912   087   1920   15   06.4   20   035   076   1910   123   2012   02   1912   00   00   00  
  *Thorney Island   14.5   +0.7   07.0   +1.8   17.3   17   02.6   09   03   00   01   12.8   14   199   116   1956   269   2011   101   1966   12   18.0   20   087   194   1941   111   2012   00   2007   02   00   00  
  *Wattisham   15.1   +2.6   06.5   +2.6   19.1   30   00.6   15   04   00   04   12.4   16   166   119   1968   254   1990   123   2006   16   23.4   07   013   034   1960   109   2012   02   2007   02   00   00  
  *Wittering   14.4   +2.2   06.3   +2.1   18.0   30   00.8   16   04   00   03   12.4   15   120   082   1950   221   1984   077   1978   20   05.0   07   020   049   1948   142   1998   03   2011   01   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Lyneham   13.9   +1.5   05.8   +1.5   16.9   21   00.5   19   05   00   03   13.1   15   138   088   1952   243   1984   084   1961   13   13.0   03   076   168   1946   153   2000   01   1984   02   00   01  
  Ross-on-Wye   15.8   +3.1   05.9   +0.8   19.3   16   00.1   19   05   00   00   11.7   13   157   109   1915   229   2007   072   1920   14   11.4   07   053   120   1859   173   2000   00   1957   00   00   00  
  *St Athan   13.7   +1.3   07.0   +2.1   17.2   21   02.8   19   01   00   05   13.0   15   163   097   1954   253   1984   091   1966   13   15.6   21   077   145   1954   125   2012   02   1957   01   00   00  
  Culdrose   12.7   +1.0   06.8   +0.8   15.3   18   02.4   09   02   00   03   12.7   15   171   101   1961   248   1984   127   1966   14   09.4   20   054   103   1961   152   1998   09   1984   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Birmingham U   14.1   +1.7   06.2   +2.3   18.1   21   00.9   19   03   00   01   09.9   15   143   108   1887   242   2007   091   1891   18   27.0   25   060   137   1887   137   1998   02   1938   02   00   00  
  *Valley   13.3   +1.4   07.5   +1.8   18.3   21   03.2   18   01   00   04   13.2   29   176   095   1946   247   1974   123   1996   16   09.8   03   036   069   1941   103   1961   07   1980   00   00   00  
  *Rostherne   14.9   +2.8   06.2   +2.2   19.7   21   -00.9   19   13   03   04   13.3   18   110   085   1945   216   1984   095   2012   17   05.8   03   029   057   1942   107   2012   04   1980   00   00   00  
  *Watnall   14.5   +2.3   06.5   +2.3   18.6   21   01.4   19   04   00   05   12.2   15   124   085   1948   220   1984   071   1971   19   05.2   07   020   050   1942   135   2012   03   2011   01   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Leeming   14.1   +1.9   05.3   +1.3   18.7   29   -02.7   15   08   02   03   12.7   18   116   087   1945   222   2011   088   2012   18   07.0   25   027   070   1945   140   2000   02   2011   01   00   00  
  *Boulmer   11.6   +1.0   06.2   +2.2   18.5   06   01.4   19   04   00   07   12.9   14   127   088   1945   218   1984   083   1974   17   11.4   25   050   125   1945   156   1998   03   1980   00   00   00  
  *Eskdalemuir   12.0   +1.2   04.4   +2.4   18.1   21   -02.6   18   06   04   07   13.2   18   109   081   1911   198   2011   059   1996   07   33.6   05   121   141   1911   254   1947   17   1980   01   01   02  
  *Bishopton   13.0   +0.6   05.7   +1.9   18.9   29   -00.4   18   06   01   07   13.2   18   134   088   1921   205   1962   073   1937   09   22.0   03   098   196   1921   159   1947   05   1974   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Leuchars   12.1   +0.6   05.5   +1.8   16.2   06   -02.0   15   10   04   06   13.4   18   136   084   1922   217   1990   098   1937   16   14.8   30   055   142   1922   117   1934   02   1938   00   00   00  
  *Dyce   11.7   +0.8   05.4   +2.4   15.4   09   -01.5   15   08   01   08   13.7   28   139   094   1941   212   1942   085   2012   10   11.6   30   045   090   1941   131   2000   10   1946   00   00   00  
  *Stornoway   11.4   +1.0   06.2   +2.2   16.0   23   01.0   18   05   00   04   13.5   20   164   105   1880   230   1962   095   1944   05   13.4   11   086   131   1943   144   1947   01   1974   00   00   00  
  *Aldergrove   14.1   +1.8   06.7   +2.3   18.5   28   00.9   18   05   00   03   12.8   18   144   097   1927   220   1974   057   1937   15   07.2   30   025   051   1927   117   1986   06   1938   00   00   00  
                                                                     
                                                                                                                                             
  Stations marked with an asterisk record sunshine electronically; comparisons      
  with earlier records are therefore somewhat speculative. Thorney Island's      
  sunshine figures are from a nearby site.      
  Reference period now 1981-2010