*Archive:* Daily weather statistics and Daily BBC Reviews

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Nationwide extremes for 18-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

London MET 5 metres 11.9°C

Cardiff Weather Centre 9 metres 11.5°C

Mumbles 35 metres 11.5°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 11.3°C

Charterhall 112 metres 11.1°C

Scampton 61 metres 11.1°C

Athan st 49 metres 11.0°C

Shobdon 99 metres 11.0°C

Thorney Island 4 metres 11.0°C

Benson 63 metres 10.9°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Altnaharra 81 metres -2.2°C

Tain Range 4 metres -1.8°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres -0.8°C

Kinloss 7 metres -0.3°C

Castlederg 51 metres 0.2°C

Lough Fea 225 metres 0.4°C

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 0.4°C

Stornoway 9 metres 1.2°C

Ballykelly 2 metres 1.3°C

Aultbea 11 metres 1.6°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Eskdalemuir 242 metres 28.0mm

Bournemouth 11 metres 26.0mm

High Wicombe hqstc 204 metres 26.0mm

Odiham 123 metres 26.0mm

Scampton 61 metres 26.0mm

Shap 249 metres 25.4mm

Brize Norton 88 metres 24.0mm

Cottesmore 138 metres 23.0mm

Lyneham 145 metres 21.0mm

Waddington 70 metres 21.0mm

P.S. I'll run this sticky thread for one week only, next Sunday I'll start a new one for the week ahead

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Nationwide extremes for 19-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Belfast/Aldergrove 81 metres 15.2°C

Great Malvern 46 metres 14.3°C

Hereford/Credenhill 76 metres 14.1°C

Holbeach 3 metres 13.8°C

Weybourne 21 metres 13.8°C

Hawarden 10 metres 13.6°C

Cardiff Weather Centre 9 metres 13.5°C

Shobdon 99 metres 13.5°C

Church Fenton 9 metres 13.4°C

Nottingham Weather Centre 117 metres 13.4°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Redhill 63 metres -0.4°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 0.0°C

Castlederg 51 metres 0.3°C

Little Rissington 215 metres 0.3°C

Benson 63 metres 0.4°C

Cork 153 metres 0.8°C

Boscombe Down 124 metres 0.9°C

Hereford/Credenhill 76 metres 1.1°C

Sennybridge 309 metres 1.1°C

Liscombe 348 metres 1.2°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Spadeadam 285 metres 26.0mm

Albemarle 141 metres 21.0mm

Leconfield 0 metres 19.0mm

Aboyne 140 metres 18.0mm

South Uist Range 10 metres 18.0mm

Aberdeen/Dyce 65 metres 17.0mm

Newcastle Weather Centre 30 metres 17.0mm

Boulmer 23 metres 16.0mm

Leek Thorncliffe 299 metres 16.0mm

Skye/Lusa 18 metres 16.0mm

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By Everton Fox

Glorious spring sunshine for south Wales but big April showers for many.

It was a wet start to the day across much of northern England and Scotland, and for a time over Northern Ireland. Scarborough in North Yorkshire was the wettest place with 24.5mm (0.96 inches) of rainfall. Much of that rain was recorded during the early hours of the morning.

As is often the case, the sandy soil of Redhill in Surrey saw the lowest overnight temperatures as the mercury dipped to zero Celsius (32F).

During the day, cloud and rain across the western half of Scotland restricted temperatures to just 8 Celsius (46F) in Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway.

Much of Wales had a fine day with sunny periods and Tenby in Pembrokeshire had the best of the sunshine with 11 hours being recorded.

Meanwhile, showers did develop across central, southern and southeast England by midday. Some of the showers were heavy with hail and thunder, particularly in Kent. During the afternoon rain and showers continued across Northern Ireland (thundery in places) and parts of Scotland, especially the west, and the thundery showers over southern England drifted northeast into East Anglia. Some showers also developed in Wales and northwest England late on.

Many eastern parts of the UK were dry during the evening, but the west had further showers or outbreaks of rain. The maximum gust was 51kt at Fair Isle at 0700.

Temperatures were mostly near the mid April average. The best temperature was recorded at Great Malvern in Worcester with a high of 14C (57F).

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 20-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

metres °C

metres °C

metres °C

metres °C

metres °C

metres °C

metres °C

metres °C

metres °C

metres °C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Redhill 63 metres -2.4°C

Redesdale 207 metres -1.8°C

Charlwood 80 metres -1.4°C

Northolt 40 metres -0.6°C

Spadeadam 285 metres -0.4°C

Benson 63 metres -0.1°C

Pershore 32 metres -0.1°C

Coltishall 20 metres 0.1°C

Odiham 123 metres 0.1°C

Shoeburyness 2 metres 0.1°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Eskdalemuir 242 metres 20.0mm

Cardinham 200 metres 10.0mm

Skye/Lusa 18 metres 7.0mm

Aberporth 133 metres 4.0mm

Preswick rn 6 metres 3.0mm

Glasgow/Bishopton 59 metres 2.0mm

Milford-Haven 37 metres 2.0mm

Stornoway 9 metres 2.0mm

Tiree 12 metres 2.0mm

Trawscoed 63 metres 2.0mm

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By Philip Avery

Showers give way to rain

The first two days of the week were always likely to be showery affairs and so it has proved. Developments to the southwest of Ireland, however, caught the eye early on and were always going to be the most significant feature, certainly for western areas, and ultimately for all parts by the end of Wednesday.

Monday's showers gradually eased from most areas overnight, and as skies cleared, temperatures fell. It was one of the usual suspects that claimed the lowest night temperature prize. Regular readers will know that Redhill Airport, Surrey, is an infamous frost-pocket and -2C was recorded during the early hours of Tuesday morning.

At least overnight clear skies lead to a bright blue morning for some eastern areas. It was a different story further west. A weak occlusion spread medium level cloud across Wales and southwest England, keeping any sunshine hazy. A warm front was not far behind this feature, spreading rain across not only these areas but also much of central and western Britain by mid-evening.

Given this spread of cloud across the west, the sunniest spot of the day was always going to be further east. Clacton in Essex claimed the prize with a sparkling 12.1 hours. It was not the warmest location. Southerly or southwesterly winds often make the Moray Firth favourite for this accolade and so it proved on Tuesday. Temperatures reached 16C, 61F by mid-afternoon.

Southern Scotland was not quite so blessed. Showers were sufficiently heavy to give the odd thunderstorm to the south of Glasgow and a cumulative rainfall total of 21.1mm at Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway. If you hear a forecaster using the phrase 'fair weather', it's rarely in the sense of even

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 21-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Gravesend 3 metres 17.7°C

Weybourne 21 metres 17.4°C

Leconfield 0 metres 17.0°C

Scampton 61 metres 16.9°C

Shoeburyness 2 metres 16.9°C

Coningsby 7 metres 16.8°C

Wattisham 87 metres 16.8°C

Coltishall 20 metres 16.7°C

Marham 23 metres 16.7°C

Waddington 70 metres 16.7°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Aviemore 220 metres 5.4°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 5.8°C

Lerwick 82 metres 6.4°C

Lake Vyrnwy 360 metres 6.5°C

Aboyne 140 metres 6.6°C

Leek Thorncliffe 299 metres 6.6°C

Baltasound 15 metres 6.7°C

Lough Fea 225 metres 6.7°C

Kirkwall 21 metres 6.8°C

Liscombe 348 metres 6.8°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Middle Wallop 91 metres 18.0mm

Great Malvern 46 metres 17.5mm

Boscombe Down 124 metres 16.0mm

Bournemouth 11 metres 16.0mm

High Wycombe 204 metres 13.0mm

Larkhill 132 metres 13.0mm

South Uist Range 10 metres 12.0mm

Lough Fea 225 metres 11.0mm

Shap 249 metres 11.0mm

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 11.0mm

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By Philip Avery

Difficult day for public and forecasters alike

With low pressure to the west and a plethora of waving fronts and troughs close to the British Isles, it was never going to be an easy day for public or forecasters. So it proved. Spirits were maintained with thoughts of the end of the week. Not quite a brighter tomorrow, so beloved of politicians, more an improvement from Friday onwards.

The downhill slide into the influence of the low and its attendant fronts began yesterday afternoon. Cloud wind and rain spread rapidly from southwest England to many western and southern parts of the British Isles through yesterday evening. On a positive note, the invasive cloud kept temperatures well above frost limits. Cassley in Highland region was the coldest spot with 5C: Redhill Airport had slipped to -2C the previous night.

Rain continued to drive its way northwards and eastwards through the rest of the night, lying over northern Scotland and eastern England by first light. Further progress of both the occlusion in the north and the cold front in the east were slow. The occlusion wrapped around the low centre to the west of Ireland and was to bring a renewed band of heavy showers back across Northern Ireland and western Scotland later in the afternoon and evening. The cold front developed a wave, which produced both heavy pulses of rain and the odd thunderstorm across much of England. This rain did not finally clear eastern England until after dark.

The highest rainfall total was recorded at Middle Wallop, Hampshire, with 17.7mm, largely due to the waving cold front. On the eastern side of the front, relatively warm air and a little sunshine raised the temperature to 18C in Herne Bay, Kent. The very best of the sunshine, though, was to be found in a very windy Belfast, where it shone for 6.8 hours.

Thursday promises to be another day of sunshine and showers before what should be a significantly drier and warmer weekend.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 22-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Great Malvern 46 metres 17.8°C

Charlwood 80 metres 17.7°C

London MET 5 metres 17.7°C

Shoeburyness 2 metres 17.6°C

Coltishall 20 metres 17.5°C

Gravesend 3 metres 17.4°C

Northolt 40 metres 17.3°C

Brize Norton 88 metres 17.0°C

Coningsby 7 metres 17.0°C

Wattisham 87 metres 17.0°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Redhill 63 metres 0.9°C

Shoreham 2 metres 1.4°C

Charlwood 80 metres 1.9°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 2.7°C

Farnborough 65 metres 2.9°C

Thorney Island 4 metres 2.9°C

Herstmonceux 17 metres 3.2°C

Benson 63 metres 3.3°C

Ballycastle 68 metres 3.5°C

Larkhill 132 metres 3.7°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Skye/Lusa 18 metres 21.0mm

Aultbea 11 metres 14.0mm

Eskdalemuir 242 metres 13.0mm

Capel Curig 216 metres 12.0mm

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 6.0mm

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 6.0mm

Sennybridge 309 metres 4.8mm

South Uist Range 10 metres 4.0mm

Manchester 78 metres 3.4mm

Baltasound 15 metres 3.0mm

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By Louise Lear

Spring sunshine for most!

After a cloudy, dull and disappointing day yesterday,Thursday had a lot to live up to. For some it was a chilly start with temperatures falling close to freezing. Those of you who live close to Redhill Aerodrome had temperatures sitting at around 1degree Celsius, and I'd imagine it was a brisk walk with the dog along the coast in Bournemouth with temperatures sitting around the three degree mark. The coldest place overnight was in Katesbridge, County Down with 0 degrees.

It was however for many of us a beautiful start with good clear skies and sunshine and that's how it stayed for a fair proportion of the country.

There were one or two exceptions, firstly the western Isles and the far north west of Scotland which had a fairly cloudy, showery day. Lusa on the Isle of Skye was the wettest place today with 22.1mm 0.87 inches of rain.

During the middle of the morning there was also a line of organised showers stretching along the Pennines and down towards Cardiff. These did eventually clear and by the middle of the afternoon other than one of two showers for the south Midlands and along the south coast, most of England and Wales continued to enjoy some pleasant spring sunshine. Temperatures reflected this with a high of 18C, 64F for Great Malvern, Worcestershire and 11.7 hours of sunshine for the Isle of Man.

For Scotland and Northern Ireland the showers eased a little during the day with the main concentration to the west of the Grampians and just one or two migrating further east. It was for Scotland though, a day of contrast with 9C the day time high at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands and 16C in Aberdeen.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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By John Hammond

Gorgeous St George's Day

It was St George's Day and the sun shone on merry England. For the other nations of the kingdom, however, the weather was more mixed.

The day began dry virtually nationwide, but through the early hours thickening cloud brought rain across Northern Ireland and into most of Scotland.

So while the day dawned damp here, for eastern fringes of Scotland, together with England and Wales it was a largely fine and clear start to the day. It was also a chilly start. There was a touch of ground frost in the more rural spots, and at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire the air temperature dipped to -1 Celsius, making it the coldest place.

There were a few patches of fog around first thing, and misty low cloud plagued the coasts and hills of west Wales and Cumbria for much of the day. These were the exceptions, though, as the rest of England and Wales had a glorious day. There was barely a cloud in the sky for much of the south and east, and Falmouth in Cornwall ended up the sunniest place in the land with 13.5 hours of sunshine.

Sea breezes kept many coasts cool, but inland it soon warmed up quite nicely. On Shakespeare's birthday it must have felt very pleasant at Stratford-upon-Avon, with temperatures in the mid-teens, but it would have been even warmer by the Globe Theatre. Central London was the warmest place with 20 Celsius.

There was a little brightness at times in eastern Scotland and Northern Ireland, but compared to England and Wales it was a much cloudier Friday. Patchy rain continued to drift east, but it was western areas that saw the dampest of the weather. South Uist in the Outer Hebrides was the wettest place of the day with 5.6mm of rain. The damp, misty and murky weather also kept western Scotland relatively cool, and Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway recorded the lowest daytime temperature with 9 Celsius.

Away from western Scotland, most places ended the day on a dry note, but it was England and Wales which remained the sunniest. This would be the story for much of the weekend too.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 24-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

London MET 5 metres 23.4°C

Gravesend 3 metres 22.4°C

Northolt 40 metres 22.2°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 21.5°C

Farnborough 65 metres 21.4°C

Great Malvern 46 metres 21.2°C

Charlwood 80 metres 21.1°C

Bedford 85 metres 20.8°C

Coleshill 96 metres 20.8°C

Pershore 32 metres 20.8°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Redhill 63 metres 1.9°C

Benson 63 metres 3.3°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 3.3°C

Yeovilton 23 metres 3.4°C

Charlwood 80 metres 3.6°C

Topcliffe 25 metres 3.9°C

Sennybridge 309 metres 4.1°C

Shoreham 2 metres 4.3°C

Farnborough 65 metres 4.5°C

Pershore 32 metres 4.6°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Lerwick 82 metres 1.4mm

Baltasound 15 metres 1.0mm

Boulmer 23 metres 1.0mm

Preswick rn 6 metres 1.0mm

West Freugh 12 metres 1.0mm

Machrihanish 13 metres 0.6mm

Redesdale 207 metres 0.6mm

Skye/Lusa 18 metres 0.6mm

Aultbea 11 metres 0.4mm

Charterhall 112 metres 0.4mm

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By Matt Taylor

The warmest day of the year so far.

There are days when being a weather forecaster can have a down side. Take today, Saturday, for instance. Walking through London at lunchtime in some gloriously warm sunshine, I did start to yearn for a Monday to Friday, nine to five job. The salt was well and truly rubbed in then during the afternoon as I sat in the office watching sun shine and the temperatures rise across the country.

However, at the same time I was fully aware that it wasn't the same warm and sunny story everywhere. If anything, a north-west south-east split to the weather existed.

This split was very much in evidence during Friday evening. A good portion of England and Wales were under the influence of high pressure, and after a sunny end to the day a largely clear night ensued. Under the clearing skies, it also turned out to be a rather chilly night for some. As is usually the case when the skies remain clear overnight, Redhill (Surrey) was the coldest spot at 2 Celsius (36F).

Across Northern Ireland and much of Scotland it was a cloudier picture due to a weak frontal system becoming stationary to the northwest of the UK. The cloud was also thick enough for some outbreaks of rain.

By first thing Saturday morning little had changed, with many waking up to cloudy skies in Northern Ireland and Scotland. There were to be further outbreaks of rain, but these were fairly light and isolated to just one or two areas. Lerwick (Shetland), Prestwick (Ayrshire), and Lusa (Isle of Skye) were the wettest places with just 1.4 mm (0.06 inches). The thicker cloud also stopped the temperature from rising above 10 Celsius (50F) at Fair Isle (North Scotland).

The sunshine did eventually start to burn through the cloud in southern Scotland and Northern Ireland, but the best of the sunshine was to be for the majority of England and Wales.

For most, the sunshine was virtually uninterrupted and this helped to make it the warmest day of the year so far as London peaked at 23 Celsius (73F). Weymouth, came in top overall for sunshine amount with 13.3 hours.

As ever, there were exceptions to the rule. With just light winds, sea fog developed in the Irish Sea. As sea breezes set in around the coasts of west Wales, Isle of Man, and Cumbria, the fog started to lap onshore. A prime example of this was Aberporth (Ceredigion) on the Cardigan Bay coast. At two o'clock this afternoon, the temperature was 16 Celsius (61F) in some warm sunshine. Just ten minutes later, the sea breeze started, the fog rolled in, and the temperature dropped to 10 Celsius (50F). Yet just a short journey inland the sunshine remained and the temperature peaked at 19 Celsius (66 F).

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 25-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Coleshill 96 metres 22.4°C

London MET 5 metres 22.2°C

Great Malvern 46 metres 22.0°C

Linton-On-Ouse 16 metres 21.9°C

Northolt 40 metres 21.8°C

Disforth 36 metres 21.5°C

Leeming 40 metres 21.5°C

Pershore 32 metres 21.5°C

Leconfield 0 metres 21.4°C

Shobdon 99 metres 21.4°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Castlederg 51 metres 2.3°C

Redhill 63 metres 3.4°C

Eskdalemuir 242 metres 3.9°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 4.1°C

Llanbedr 0 metres 4.1°C

Sennybridge 309 metres 4.4°C

Yeovilton 23 metres 4.4°C

Strathallan 35 metres 4.5°C

Pembrey Sands 3 metres 4.6°C

Glasgow/Bishopton 59 metres 4.8°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Aultbea 11 metres 6.0mm

Barra 3 metres 4.0mm

Skye/Lusa 18 metres 4.0mm

Baltasound 15 metres 3.2mm

Fair Isle 59 metres 3.0mm

Lerwick 82 metres 3.0mm

Kirkwall 21 metres 2.0mm

South Uist Range 10 metres 1.2mm

Altnaharra 81 metres 1.0mm

Stornoway 9 metres 1.0mm

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By Alex Deakin

Weather man red faced

I think most people will agree that weatherwise it has been a lovely weekend. My colleague Darren Bett came into work today with a red face. Not because the forecast had gone askew (far from it) but he had been caught out by the strength of the sunshine whilst playing on the beach with his children.

I am sure he is not alone and sales of Aloe Vera along with ice cream and bar-b-ques will be through the roof this weekend thanks to the warm sunshine.

It didn't start off all that warm for some, the temperature at Katesbridge, County Down was just 2C (36F) to start the day.

There was a little more cloud around today compared to yesterday and as a result temperatures didn't quite reach the same heights. However many inland places did again hit 20C or more. The warmest place was Coleshill in Warwickshire, not far from Birmingham, where the mercury hit 22C (72F). These temperatures are more usually seen in early July rather than April.

It was a bit cooler around the coasts where sea breezes kept the temperature down making it easier to be fooled by the power of the sun.

It was not sunny everywhere however, indeed at some coastal resorts sun block was not required with sea fog spoiling the blue skies this occurred chiefly in west Wales and around the Irish sea. Due to the persistent sea fog temperatures at Ronaldsway on the Isle of Man did not get above 10C (50F) all day.

Inland the sun was blocked at times by cloud, this was most prevalent across northern Scotland and western parts of Northern Ireland where the cloud was left by an old weather front. That front did bring a little rain during the night. Aultbea in the Highlands was the wettest place with 5.8mm (0.23 inches) of rain.

During the afternoon some parts of England and Wales saw the clouds bubbling up and a few scattered showers developed late in the day. There was even a rumble of thunder to be heard in Yorkshire.

For most of the UK however it was just a case of enjoying the sunshine, Weymouth for the second day running was officially the sunniest spot recording 13.2 hours of sun, but many, many places were not far behind in the sunshine stakes.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 26-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Coleshill 96 metres 23.1°C

London MET 5 metres 22.1°C

Northolt 40 metres 21.6°C

Cardiff Weather Centre 9 metres 21.1°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 20.8°C

Farnborough 65 metres 20.7°C

Marham 23 metres 20.5°C

Pershore 32 metres 20.5°C

Charlwood 80 metres 20.4°C

Nottingham Weather Centre 117 metres 20.4°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Eskdalemuir 242 metres -0.4°C

West Freugh 12 metres 0.1°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 0.8°C

Redesdale 207 metres 1.3°C

Strathallan 35 metres 1.9°C

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 2.0°C

Aboyne 140 metres 2.3°C

Aviemore 220 metres 2.4°C

Aberdeen/Dyce 65 metres 2.7°C

Charterhall 112 metres 2.8°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Newcastle Weather Centre 30 metres 15.0mm

Great Malvern 46 metres 9.0mm

Leeming 40 metres 6.2mm

Church Fenton 9 metres 6.0mm

Hereford/Credenhill 76 metres 5.0mm

Linton-On-Ouse 16 metres 5.0mm

Pershore 32 metres 4.0mm

Tain Range 4 metres 4.0mm

Topcliffe 25 metres 4.0mm

Disforth 36 metres 3.6mm

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By Matt Taylor

A stormy end to the day for some.

Once again it was a day more akin to early summer in some places. For others though, the day went out with a bang!

After a sunny and warm day for many on Sunday, the overnight period remained largely clear across a good part of Scotland, England, and Wales. The temperatures also took a plummet in the clear skies over southern Scotland. At Eskdalemuir (Dumfries and Galloway), there was a decided chill in the air as the mercury fell to 0 Celsius (32 F).

This meant it was to be a sunny, if rather cool start to Monday in the north. Much of England and Wales also awoke to gloriously sunny skies. There were some exceptions though. Around the Moray Firth, in north-east Scotland, there were further problems with some coastal mist and fog. Meanwhile, to the west, we saw some thicker cloud roll in across Northern Ireland and northern and western parts of Scotland during the day. This brought with it outbreaks of rain, and helped to keep the temperature pegged back at 8 Celsius (46 F) at Fair Isle (Northern Scotland).

There was also an innocuous band of cloud stretching from south-east Wales to north-east England. However, a shower within it, around the Teeside area, spawned a thunderstorm. This was only a taster of things to come!

Meanwhile, to the west, we saw some thicker cloud roll in across Northern Ireland and northern and western parts of Scotland during the day. This brought with it outbreaks of rain, and helped to keep the temperature pegged back at 8 Celsius (46 F) at Fair Isle (Northern Scotland).

Across much of southern and eastern England, the warm sunshine continued through the day. Torquay managed 13.4 hours of sunshine, and central London was once more the warmest place at 22 Celsius (72 F).

As the temperatures rose across other parts of England and Wales, the 'innocuous' band of cloud began to swell in size. From it, a line of heavy and thundery showers developed. Initially across parts of Yorkshire, the showers then extended towards south-east Wales. Scarborough (North Yorkshire) was officially the wettest spot on the Met Office observing network with 7.3 mm (0.29 inches) during the 24 hours, but as our rainfall radar pictures suggested, localised torrential downpours elsewhere were to give much greater totals.

Through the day we received various unofficial reports of torrential rain across the country. Around lunchtime, 33 mm (1.3 inches) of rain was reported for a site near Sheffield. This falling in a period of just one hour! Roads were closed in Gateshead (Tyne and Wear) and County Durham due to flooding, and more was to come in parts of Worcestershire. Late in the evening, we heard of 43 mm (1.7 inches) of rain falling in 2 hours near Worcester, and the Environment Agency also reported canals in the area topping their banks. Today wasn't going to go out quietly.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 27-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Herstmonceux 17 metres 20.0°C

Thorney Island 4 metres 19.3°C

Gravesend 3 metres 19.1°C

Solent M.R.S.C. 9 metres 19.1°C

Charlwood 80 metres 18.5°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 18.5°C

Shoreham 2 metres 18.5°C

London MET 5 metres 18.3°C

Northolt 40 metres 18.2°C

Wattisham 87 metres 18.2°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Shap 249 metres 1.0°C

Castlederg 51 metres 4.0°C

Stornoway 9 metres 4.1°C

Sennybridge 309 metres 4.7°C

Glenanne 161 metres 5.4°C

Aviemore 220 metres 5.5°C

Islay/Port Ellen 17 metres 5.5°C

Lerwick 82 metres 5.5°C

Cork 153 metres 5.6°C

Spadeadam 285 metres 5.6°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Pershore 32 metres 32.0mm

Linton-On-Ouse 16 metres 19.0mm

Aviemore 220 metres 17.0mm

Edinburgh/Gogarbank 57 metres 13.0mm

St.Catherine's Point 16 metres 13.0mm

Nottingham Weather Centre 117 metres 11.0mm

Newcastle Weather Centre 30 metres 10.0mm

Kinloss 7 metres 9.8mm

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 9.2mm

Disforth 36 metres 9.0mm

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By Susan Powell

In with a bang and out with and even bigger one?

April showers have been taken to the extreme in the last 24 hours.

We write our weather review here for the UK's weather from 6pm to 6pm - and what a 24 hours it has been for some.

Yesterday evening (the 26th) saw heavy thunderstorms bring chaos to parts of the country. Torrential rain lashed Worcestershire and parts of north Herefordshire.

The storms brought the equivalent of an entire month's rainfall over parts of Worcester within two hours - unofficial reports of localised totals nearing 50mm. In Bromsgrove two homes had to be evacuated after a lightning strike caused a severe fire. The lightning even mangage to strike the roof of Leominster police station in Herefordshire.

Unsurprisingly then the official wettest spot in the 24 hour period was to be found in Worcestershire - Pershore recording 32mm (1.26 inches).

The showers were not only confined to the Midlands however - the line of heavy downpours also extended right the way up to Tyneside with Gateshead experiencing problems with flooding during the evening.

These showers may well have died down by the early hours - but as the following afternoon wore on we were in for an action replay. Not in exactly the same area but the culprits were familiar. Through the late afternoon and into early evening dramatic storms rumbled the skies over parts of southeast of England, East Midlands and East Anglia. In London parts of the Underground were closed due to flooding as the rush hour approached.

However, as is the nature with showers, some spots missed them altogether and that was the story for Hastings in East Sussex where with over eight hours of sunshine temperatures reached a high of a balmy 21C (70F). (Around 6C above April average)

Aside from the excitement of the showers there was also a band of more organised rain moving across the UK. It pushed in from the northwest through the night and was to found stretching over eastern Scotland, over northern England and clipping into the north Midlands and parts of north Wales by dawn.

The front certainly made for a grey day here and also gave some heavy bursts of rain from time to time too. Sitting under the cloud Redesdale Camp in Northumberland only reached a top temperature of 9C (48F).

A quieter scene was to be found coming in behind our weather front. Clear spells extended across western Scotland and Northern Ireland through the early hours. This allowed temperatures fall off steeply in some spots. Castlederg in West Tyrone dipped to a low of 4C (39F).

However, it did make for a bright and sunny start to the day here and the sunshine continued for 10.4 hours for Tiree (Inner Hebrides). The sunshine however was not wall to wall as scattering of showers broke out as the day wore on.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 28-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Langdon Bay 117 metres 17.8°C

Herstmonceux 17 metres 17.4°C

Manston 55 metres 17.4°C

Gravesend 3 metres 16.8°C

Redhill 63 metres 16.3°C

Charlwood 80 metres 16.2°C

Glasgow/Bishopton 59 metres 16.1°C

Strathallan 35 metres 15.8°C

Shoeburyness 2 metres 15.6°C

Thorney Island 4 metres 15.6°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Altnaharra 81 metres 0.5°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 2.0°C

Aboyne 140 metres 3.0°C

Wick 39 metres 3.4°C

Kirkwall 21 metres 3.7°C

Stornoway 9 metres 4.5°C

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 4.9°C

Preswick rn 6 metres 5.2°C

Aviemore 220 metres 5.6°C

Tain Range 4 metres 5.6°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Wainfleet 5 metres 19.0mm

Wittering 84 metres 18.0mm

Cottesmore 138 metres 17.0mm

Holbeach 3 metres 17.0mm

London MET 5 metres 17.0mm

Charlwood 80 metres 16.0mm

Marham 23 metres 16.0mm

High Wycombe 204 metres 15.0mm

Odiham 123 metres 15.0mm

Farnborough 65 metres 14.8mm

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By Susan Powell

April is nearing a close - but the showers are as spritely as ever!

Spring itself may be moving along nicely - but after a flying start to the week the weather seems to be having a relapse!

The shorts and T-shirts have obviously been out under false pretenses in the last few days because today for most of us its been grey, cloudy, damp and even feeling a touch chilly.

Overnight cloud and outbreaks of rain stretched across eastern Scotland, north Wales and many parts of England. The rain was particulary intense for southeast England, East Anglia and through the English Channel, courtesy of some violent thundery showers. The Channel Islands were particually badly affected by the rain and Jersey took the title for the wettest place in the last 24 hours with a total of 29.2mm (1.15 inches) of rain (most of which fell during the evening).

Daylight hours were a cloudy and damp affair for most here too. It was particulary murky over the hills with hill fog closing in from time to time. Thanks to rainfall and impenetrable cloud the temperatures in Bingley (Bradford) and Leeds made only 8C (46F).

The southeast of England however, improved considerably through the afternoon with sunny spells developing. There was though a price to pay - as temperatures rose in response to the sunshine showers developed. West Sussex saw some of the heavier ones during the afternoon with an unofficial report of 32mm of rain falling in just 4 hours at Itchingfield. The warmest spot of the day was Southend in Essex with a high of 18C (64F).

For Northern Ireland and western Scotland however it was a largely dry night with clear spells. Thanks to the clear skies it was a chilly night for some - the temperature fell to just 1C (34F) at Altnaharra in Highland giving a touch of ground frost.

However the clear skies were a bonus here come morning allowing through plenty of sunshine which for many persisted through the day - but there were one or two showers in the northwest through the afternoon. For the second day in a row Tiree (Inner Hebrides) was the brightest place to be - 9.9 hours of sunshine recorded.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 29-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

West Freugh 12 metres 14.0°C

Preswick rn 6 metres 13.3°C

Strathallan 35 metres 13.3°C

Crosby 8 metres 13.1°C

Walney Island 15 metres 12.8°C

Dundrennan 114 metres 12.6°C

Llanbedr 0 metres 12.6°C

Chivenor 8 metres 12.5°C

Cork 153 metres 12.4°C

Machrihanish 13 metres 12.3°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Drumalbin 245 metres 0.8°C

Baltasound 15 metres 1.9°C

Preswick rn 6 metres 2.0°C

Edinburgh/Gogarbank 57 metres 3.1°C

Glasgow/Bishopton 59 metres 3.1°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 3.1°C

Redesdale 207 metres 3.1°C

Lerwick 82 metres 3.3°C

Shap 249 metres 3.3°C

Eskdalemuir 242 metres 3.4°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Liscombe 348 metres 24.0mm

Coleshill 96 metres 20.0mm

Manston 55 metres 20.0mm

Little Rissington 215 metres 18.0mm

Waddington 70 metres 18.0mm

Pershore 32 metres 17.0mm

Great Malvern 46 metres 16.5mm

Coltishall 20 metres 15.0mm

Scampton 61 metres 15.0mm

Wittering 84 metres 15.0mm

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By Victoria Good

Review of the day 29th April 2004

The day began with a fair amount of cloud sitting across much of England and Wales. Tied in with this were two bands of rain, so it was a rather wet and miserable start for much of southern Britain. Temperatures were generally around 6-8 Celsius.

It didn't improve much as the day went on, either! It was windy, wet and thoroughly miserable, on the whole. The rainbands merged together, and steadily progressed across parts of Wales and into the southwest of England, but began to die down through the late evening. Even though the temperatures just about managed to struggle into double figures in Manchester (10 Celsius), Cardiff (11 Celsius) and Eastbourne (11 Celsius), it certainly felt chilly enough under the gloomy skies, especially when the wind caught you.

It was Southend in Essex which had the highest rainfall total of the day. 20.6mm were recorded all in all, although Birmingham also had over 15mm, and Teignmouth had over 16mm. It was generally across the east coast where the highest figures were recorded, but many areas suffered rain, showers or drizzle on and off through the day.

It wasn't quite the same story further north, however. For Scotland and Northern Ireland, the day started off rather more positively. The skies were comparatively dry and clear - clear enough for a rather cold start in Saughall, East Ayrshire, where the mercury started off at the freezing mark.

But this was to bode well for the day ahead. Although there were some showers around, there was also some brightness and even sunshine too. The cloud did thicken over for Eastern Scotland through the afternoon, ahead of more rain. However, western Scotland managed to stay fairly fine, and Northern Ireland had some of the best weather of the day.

In fact, it was a case of 'west is best' today. Tiree had 11 hours of sunshine, the Isle of Man had a rather awe-inspiring 11.3 hours - and even Newquay, in Cornwall, managed to tot up 7 hours of sunshine before the cloud and rain edged in later in the day. Belfast in Northern Ireland also had a rather lovely day, with 9.5 hours of sunshine and a top temperature of 11 Celsius.

But the top temperature medal goes to West Freugh in Dumfries and Galloway. 14 Celsius was the prize winner, just managing to beat Saunton Sands and Falmouth (both with 13 Celsius) to be the hot spot of the day.

As an aside, due to all the rain, not a single ball was bowled all day at the County Championship Cricket, due to continue at Kennington, Birmingham and Worcester.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 30-04-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Walney Island 15 metres 17.1°C

West Freugh 12 metres 16.9°C

Crosby 8 metres 16.5°C

Islay/Port Ellen 17 metres 16.1°C

Isle of Man/Ronaldsway 17 metres 15.9°C

Llanbedr 0 metres 15.3°C

Gravesend 3 metres 15.2°C

Machrihanish 13 metres 15.2°C

Keswick 81 metres 15.1°C

St.Bees Head 124 metres 15.1°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Sennybridge 309 metres 0.2°C

Pembrey Sands 3 metres 1.2°C

Trawscoed 63 metres 1.5°C

Cardinham 200 metres 4.0°C

Pershore 32 metres 4.1°C

Liscombe 348 metres 4.3°C

Llanbedr 0 metres 4.3°C

St, Athan 49 metres 4.4°C

Church Lawford 107 metres 4.6°C

Baltasound 15 metres 4.8°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Aberdeen/Dyce 65 metres 18.0mm

Shoreham 2 metres 11.2mm

Inverbervie 134 metres 9.0mm

Odiham 123 metres 9.0mm

Herstmonceux 17 metres 8.8mm

Farnborough 65 metres 8.0mm

Guernsey 102 metres 8.0mm

Edinburgh/Gogarbank 57 metres 7.8mm

Aboyne 140 metres 7.0mm

Charlwood 80 metres 7.0mm

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By Matt Taylor

Dull, damp and dismal. Let's hope the weekend's better!

After some pleasantly warm conditions for most at the start of the week, these past few days have come as a bit of shock to the system - especially to those in the south. I even found myself reaching for the central heating yesterday evening as cold north-easterly winds blew across much of the country.

Thankfully, with the Bank Holiday weekend now upon us, the cold winds are beginning to ease....and not before time.

Through Thursday night, the brisk wind brought in a good deal of cloud across much of the country. An active weather front in the north east of Scotland also brought with it some outbreaks of rain. With a few heavier downpours mixed in, Aberdeen got a bit of a soaking. 19.8 mm (0.78 inches) of rain in total fell at the city's airport in Dyce, making it the UK's wettest place over the 24 hours.

Despite the predominantly cloudy scene across the country overnight, there were a few breaks. As the skies cleared for a time during the second half of the night at Sennybridge (Powys), we saw the temperature drop to just 0 Celsius (32 F).

Even where the cloud held the temperatures up overnight it was still a rather chilly start to the day for many, thanks to that wind. The cloud then persisted across much of the UK right through the day. It was particularly grim in eastern Scotland and north-east England where a lot of low cloud fed in off the North Sea. This lead to widespread hill fog across the North Yorkshire Moors, the Pennines, Cheviots, Southern Uplands, and Grampians for a good part of the day. It also prevented the temperature at Aviemore (Highland), rising above 7 Celsius (45 F).

It was a rather miserable day towards southern parts of England and Wales as well. Here, an area of heavy rain gradually edged its way westwards through the day, making the weekend get-away a rather soggy one.

While it was a rather disappointing day on the whole, for the bulk of the country, there was a silver-lining for some. Towards the coasts of north-west England, and western Scotland, the cloud remained fairly well broken once again. On the island of Tiree (Inner Hebrides), the residents and visitors were treated to 10.5 hours of glorious sunshine.

Only the continuous breeze stopped it from being a warm day in Tiree. However, on the Cumbrian coast, with a little shelter thanks to the Lake District, the temperature soared in the sunshine. Walney Island (Cumbria), near Barrow, took the day's top spot with a very pleasant 17 Celsius (63 F). We'll all be hoping for more of the same through the Bank Holiday weekend!

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website