April CET

[TonyH]

I agree, it has not seemed like a notably warm April, rather its been consistently mild to warm and no cold spells. Great to have put the central heating off so early!

[stewfox]

Odd month in how this month is looking as going down as one of the warmest Aprils on record, however, we have at no time been anywhere to record any high maxima for the month the highest being a poor 21 degrees possibly 22 degrees , it has been the low diurnal range this month which has had a major impact on the CET and for that reason many I think will find it hard to think of anything memorable about this month temp wise and indeed weatherwise - ot has been exceptional so far for complete absence of any weather events to speak of whatsoever and fast becoming a month that I will be gald to see the back of! the weather doesn't get more dull than April 2009.

2 weeks of nearly unbroken sunshine with temps on some days at 70f. Nice sunbathing weather

Likely (by CET) to be in the top 10 of April's out of 350 years of 'April's'.

I just dont understand what people expect for 'April'. 85f everyday ?

Its been an acceptional month by any 'factual measurement'. This includes very mild nights

Give me more of this 'Any more dull' stuff

[J10]

2 weeks of nearly unbroken sunshine with temps on some days at 70f. Nice sunbathing weather

Likely (by CET) to be in the top 10 of April's out of 350 years of 'April's'.

I just dont understand what people expect for 'April'. 85f everyday ?

Its been an acceptional month by any 'factual measurement'. This includes very mild nights

Give me more of this 'Any more dull' stuff

Strange thing is over Easter the weather was fantastic, but recently it has been on the cool side with quite a bit of cloud, Max temp around the 11-13c mark.

Of course this has not been in the CET zone.

[chionomaniac]

Hadley on 10.1ºC today. With some cooler nights programmed before the end of the month it is likely that we may see a slight reduction below 10ºC before the end of the month.

[Kentish Man]

Hadley is down 0.1C to 10.0C today (Apr 1 - 27). Another small fall looks very likely today and based on the GFS temp profiles also tomorrow with the final day of the month coming out about average so maybe we'll have a finishing figure of about 9.8C before any month-end adjustments.

[osmposm]

Late, I know, but I think worth the penalty points, I am upping my guess by a full degree to

8.8^oC

Ossie

Should have made it two full degrees. Dear, oh dear.

[Terminal Moraine]

After the abject failure of my March guess I'll try 8.3c for April

I'm not sure how much abject failure I can take.

[Kentish Man]

As expected Hadley fell by 0.1C to 9.9C (Apr 1 - 28).

It was chilly last night in the Home Counties with temps in some locations not far off 0C. Pershore in the CET zone fell to 1.0C. Maximas today will probably not be high enough to prevent another 0.1C drop tomorrow.

[damianslaw]

Don't have the stats but will be interesting to know how this month is likely to rank in terms of warmest Aprils's, after what was looking like being possibly the second warmest ever, I feel the last few days if the month have knocked it down a fair bit in the rankings, top 10 still? Anyone have such info...

[Thundery wintry showers]

It's looking like coming out around 10.0C which would certainly make it a "top 20" contender but there were a few warmer Aprils in the 1940s. 2nd warmest since 1987 looks like being a reasonable bet at this stage.

Still, it's been remarkable how homogeneously warm it has been. Take a look at the Hadley CET graphs:

http://hadobs.metoffice.com/hadcet/graphs/...act_graphEX.gif

Remarkable stuff- every day until yesterday was above average!

[reef]

It's looking like coming out around 10.0C which would certainly make it a "top 20" contender but there were a few warmer Aprils in the 1940s. 2nd warmest since 1987 looks like being a reasonable bet at this stage.

Still, it's been remarkable how homogeneously warm it has been. Take a look at the Hadley CET graphs:

http://hadobs.metoffice.com/hadcet/graphs/...act_graphEX.gif

Remarkable stuff- every day until yesterday was above average!

That chart confirms how relentlessly mild/warm it has been since mid-February. Aside from an occasional few days here and there it has been homogenously mild. I cant remember a spring like it (nor one as dull and boring). Although for general daily activities it has been alright, from a meterological point of view it has been akin to watching paint dry (as evidenced from the Model Discussion Thread - 24 pages in 14 days!).

Edited April 29, 2009 by reef

[Scorcher]

That chart confirms how relentlessly mild/warm it has been since mid-February. Aside from an occasional few days here and there it has been homogenously mild. I cant remember a spring like it (nor one as dull and boring). Although for general daily activities it has been alright, from a meterological point of view it has been akin to watching paint dry (as evidenced from the Model Discussion Thread - 24 pages in 14 days!).

Do you mean dull in terms of sunshine? It's also quite remarkable how experiences of this spring can be so different over 100 miles or so. In my area it's been one of the sunniest springs I can remember and I have enjoyed every minute. We have reaped the benefits of quite frequent easterly winds while those on the east coast have often been plagued by cloud. I agree with your comment about it being homogenously mild- in other warm Aprils we have seen 20C reached quite widely but this year it hasn't been reached much away from the South East. The lack of cool days has been quite astounding really- the coldest day of the month here had a max of 12C which is not far below average. In this area I would say minima have been below average due to clear skies but maxima generally well above although I don't have statistics to back this up. It will be interesting to look at Philip Eden's summary of the month once it goes up on his site.

[Snowyowl9]

That chart confirms how relentlessly mild/warm it has been since mid-February. Aside from an occasional few days here and there it has been homogenously mild. I cant remember a spring like it (nor one as dull and boring).

Not as warm as february 1997 and March/April 1997 will be in the bottom/top whichever way you look at it of the list for such an uninteresting spring(not incl May), no wintriness at all did get 2/3 few air frosts in april and some warm days.

Edited April 30, 2009 by Snowyowl9

[reef]

Do you mean dull in terms of sunshine? It's also quite remarkable how experiences of this spring can be so different over 100 miles or so. In my area it's been one of the sunniest springs I can remember and I have enjoyed every minute. We have reaped the benefits of quite frequent easterly winds while those on the east coast have often been plagued by cloud. I agree with your comment about it being homogenously mild- in other warm Aprils we have seen 20C reached quite widely but this year it hasn't been reached much away from the South East. The lack of cool days has been quite astounding really- the coldest day of the month here had a max of 12C which is not far below average. In this area I would say minima have been below average due to clear skies but maxima generally well above although I don't have statistics to back this up. It will be interesting to look at Philip Eden's summary of the month once it goes up on his site.

It was more in regard to the lack of different weather types and general interesting weather. Locally it has been pretty poor on sunshine and minima as you mention have been particularly high here due to the cloudcover. Elsewhere though (as the CET figures suggest), it has been rather dry, sunny and warm. The problem I have really is that many of the traditional spring weather types (common generally in mild springs even) have been lacking this year. As you say theres been no really cold or really warm days, nor any of the weather you'd expect to be associated with those. We've had few showers, few rain bands passing the meridian intact, few storms, frosts, snow or even wind. Its basically been benign, warm and rather settled. No doubt percieved as excellent by many, but from a meterological interest point of view, very boring.

Not as warm as february 1997 and March/April 1997 will be in the bottom/top whichever way you look at it of the list for such an uninteresting spring(not incl May), no wintriness at all did get 2/3 few air frosts in april and some warm days.

Funnily enough Id forgotten about 1997, but you're absolutely right. The majority of February, March and April were indeed homogenously mild/warm for the duration. On average they were actually warmer than this year, mainly thanks to the March. May at least, made up for it with that amazing switcharound in the first half.

[Kentish Man]

Climate UK confirms today that it has been a very mild/warm, dry and quite sunny month.

CET: (Apr 1-30): 10.0°C (+1.9 degC)

E&W Rain: (Apr 1-30): 47.6mm ( 76 per cent)

E&W Sun: (Apr 1-30): 184.4hr (118 per cent)

© Philip Eden

Edited May 1, 2009 by Kentish Man

[Guest Mike W]

Hadley has confirmed at 10.0: http://hadobs.metoffice.com/hadcet/cetml1659on.dat

Edited May 1, 2009 by Mike W

[Methuselah]

7.3C. I don't think it's going to be too clever (warmth-wise).

Oh dear! :unsure:

[reef]

10.0C with no adjustment, quite unusual recently!

http://hadobs.metoffice.com/hadcet/cetml1659on.dat

That makes it the joint 3rd warmest in the last 50 years. Only 1987 and 2007 were warmer. Its also the joint-12th warmest since records began.

Edited May 1, 2009 by reef

[The PIT]

10.0C with no adjustment, quite unusual recently!

http://hadobs.metoffice.com/hadcet/cetml1659on.dat

That makes it the joint 3rd warmest in the last 50 years. Only 1987 and 2007 were warmer. Its also the joint-12th warmest since records began.

Thats becuase it's above average. They don't need checking just the cold months. :unsure:

[Thundery wintry showers]

I remember 1997 very well- April 1997 in particular bored me rigid in the Tyne & Wear area, with hardly a drop of rain but only close to average sunshine, and homogeneous warmth. However I think March 1997 had its moments of interest, with a markedly warm sunny end to the month, and also a very warm spell in the second week with a surprising amount of fog about, but also sunshine and temperatures of up to 16C by day.

But as Reef mentions above May 1997 was a remarkable month. It started with two days of heat- in Tyneside it reached 25C, and it was 27C in London- then by the 6th we were having snow showers. It was the most widespread May snow event of the 1990s, with widespread showers of sleet and snow even in southern England, and a snow/hail cover was reported at Lancaster early on the 7th. For most of the country the rest of the month continued variable- a cool showery 2nd week, a warm humid thundery 3rd week, and a sunny last week which started cold and ended warm. In Tyneside the third week was spoilt by persistent North Sea stratus, but that was quite localised.

Somehow though I don't think May 2009 will be quite as interesting...

As for my April CET prediction I expected there to be a couple of cooler spells interspersed with the general warmth- so my 9.0 ended up too low.

[Don]

10.0C with no adjustment, quite unusual recently!

http://hadobs.metoffice.com/hadcet/cetml1659on.dat

That makes it the joint 3rd warmest in the last 50 years. Only 1987 and 2007 were warmer. Its also the joint-12th warmest since records began.

So, there we have it, a very warm month. Has the run of average to below average months of the last 12 months now come to an end? Too early to say, but looking at the way things are panning out ATM, it's quite likely. :unsure: Nevertheless, a warm Summer would be nice, just hope we start getting colder than average months again come Autumn/Winter.

[GRHinPorts]

A 10.0 for April takes the running CET for the first 4 months of 2009 to 24.10 (average 6.025). Comparing that to the 1971-2000 averages we find that we are 1.3 degrees ahead of where we should be by this stage of the year.

However of the last 13 years (going back to 1997) only 2 years (2001 & 2006) were still in negative territory at this stage of the year relative to the 71-00 averages.

If we look at the 1997-2008 averages (a personal preference having lived in the UK since 1997) then at this point of the year the running CET total would be 26.33 which leaves 2009 a whole 2.23 degrees behind in relative terms.

So in conclusion despite this being one of the 12th warmest Aprils on record, and despite it being homogenously mild since mid-way through February, 2009 as a whole cannot be seen as being particularly warm to date. Certainly not in relation to the past 12 years.

I still feel therefore 2009 will deliver yet more above average warmth in the months to come.

[Kentish Man]

I remember 1997 very well- April 1997 in particular bored me rigid in the Tyne & Wear area, with hardly a drop of rain but only close to average sunshine, and homogeneous warmth. However I think March 1997 had its moments of interest, with a markedly warm sunny end to the month, and also a very warm spell in the second week with a surprising amount of fog about, but also sunshine and temperatures of up to 16C by day.

But as Reef mentions above May 1997 was a remarkable month. It started with two days of heat- in Tyneside it reached 25C, and it was 27C in London- then by the 6th we were having snow showers. It was the most widespread May snow event of the 1990s, with widespread showers of sleet and snow even in southern England, and a snow/hail cover was reported at Lancaster early on the 7th. For most of the country the rest of the month continued variable- a cool showery 2nd week, a warm humid thundery 3rd week, and a sunny last week which started cold and ended warm. In Tyneside the third week was spoilt by persistent North Sea stratus, but that was quite localised.

Somehow though I don't think May 2009 will be quite as interesting...

As for my April CET prediction I expected there to be a couple of cooler spells interspersed with the general warmth- so my 9.0 ended up too low.

Your prediction was a lot closer than some of us

As regards May 1997 I was in North Devon at Woolacombe during that cold week. We must have visited Ilfracombe around 6/7th as we had a succession of snow showers with a bitterly cold wind which the strong May sun seemed to do little to defray.

[Snowyowl9]

The most interesting months in 1997 was January Cold and snow/May Hot start then, Cold/ snow and thunder same time then a very muggy middle with thundery rain.

June for a night of thunderstorms and later in the month one of the coldest summer days with N-ly gales.

Not alot happened in July but it was warm and relatively dry,August was slightly more thundery interesting.

So a mainly umemorable april except for the thundery morning a week or so back and very heavy showers towards the end, april 2nd mildest since 1987.

[J10]

Just to let everyone know, the scores for this will be updated early tomorrow.