April 2011 turned out to be an unusually warm month. It was also very dry.
The average maximum temperature at 15.7 degrees was a massive 4.4 degrees above the long-term average. It meant that no less than 20days of the month were actually warmer than the normal daytime temperature for MAY. Moreover, 9 days actually bettered the average daytime temperature for JUNE.
This April was warmer by day in Pitlochry than the long-term average April maximum temperature in places including LONDON & the ISLES of SCILLY. Even a normal April in PARIS would only be 0.3 degrees higher than we have experienced this past month. The warmth of Pitlochry's days in April 2011 has been what normally would occur about 7 degrees of latitude further south!
The average minimum temperature was above the long-term average, but not to the same degree, (1.9 above). The many clear nights allowed temperatures to fall quickly & there were 13 ground frosts & 5 air frosts, all of the latter being slight & in the final week.
Gardeners & growers might have reservations about the"glorious" April. Only 26.4mms of rain fell & this after a March defecit of 20%. The actual defecit in April was 46%. Only one "worth-while fall occurred (on the 4th), otherwise it was left to little more than occasional spits & spots or drizzle to water the plants & crops. However, we only have to go back to 2007 to find a drier April.
As far as records are concerned, the extremes of temperature observed this April (21.5 & -1.1) did not beat values observed in the recent past, but the unusually high mean maximum temperature of 15.7 has no challenger in the past 35 years & I suspect in a considerable period before that. I expect we will all look back on it for many years to come, perhaps as something of a counter-balance to December 2010!
Best wishes & happy new month, Barry. ( Incidentally, there were 953 visits to the blog during April---thanks for your support.)
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