April 2011 was a remarkable month for many reasons and broke several records. With high pressure dominating for most of the month and keeping weather fronts from the Atlantic at bay, it proved a very dry and very warm month. It was the warmest April on record with the mean maximum +5.1°C and the mean minimum +2.3°C. The three warmest Aprils that I have recorded occurred in the last five years. On the 23rd another record was broken when I recorded the hottest April day when the thermometer peaked at 26.2°C. There were 26 totally dry days, another record equalling the years of 1984 and 1987. Out of the four wet days only one produced a substantial amount of precipitation, 4.2mm on the 3rd, the remaining three days brought minimal amounts of 0.7mm, 0.4mm and 0.1mm. The total rainfall of 5.4mm (the long-term average is 60mm) was the second lowest for an April only beaten by the drier April of 1984 which produced only 2mm. Set against the minimal rainfall is the figure of over 82mm of moisture lost to the atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration. During April there were no air frosts, which is another record; the previous low was of just two air frosts in 2004 and 2007.
The weather station of Marlborough, Wiltshire
