Post Reply - Climate collapse

It’s been the sunniest April for the UK since records began in 1910, with 47% more sunshine hours than the long-term meteorological average, according to provisional Met Office figures. It was also the sunniest April on record for England, and the second sunniest for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Temperatures have also been 1.7°C above average, meaning the UK has recorded its third warmest April for mean temperature since the series began in 1884.  

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“The reason for the high temperatures over the last week has not been because we’ve been importing warm air from the south, but because cloud-free skies have brought strong solar insolation, warming the air up day-by-day. The sun is as strong at this time of year as it is in August. Under high pressure, the air tends to sink, get compressed, and warm up. So, it’s fair to say that this latest period of very warm weather has been ‘home-grown’ and not brought in from anywhere else.”

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The UK saw just over half the rainfall it would usually expect in April, with 56% recorded. There was, however, much variation. Northern Ireland was the only nation to record above average rainfall (114%) due to heavy rain mid-month. Northern England was particularly dry, seeing 25% of its average rainfall compared to southern England, which saw 66%. Cornwall was the wettest county with 169% of its average, and Tyne and Wear was the driest with 7%, making it Tyne and Wear’s second driest April since the series began in 1836. Some stations in north-east England recorded less than 5mm of rain across the whole month.

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 The below graph shows that the UK has had its warmest first two months of spring (March and April) since the series began in 1960, though with a month still to go of the season, it’s too early to speculate how the whole of spring will shape up.