April 2026 once again temperatures above the average for both the 1961-1990 and the 1991-2020 average. So a warm month overall coming in as the 4th warmest on record. Rainfall wise it was below average for both the 1961-1990 and the 1991-2020 average. The Month was xxth driest on record. The month featured one storm this being storm Dave. The month was windy at first but soon calmed down.
April was rather warm month and didn't feature and cool spells bar one day, the 5th when 9.9C was the high. For most of the month temperatures were in double figures hanging around the mid teens which a few incursions into the low twenties. Night time temperatures were also above average but bar one day the 9th when 10.2C was the low, were in single digits. Some nights were cold enough for ground frosts these being the 7th, 13th, 14th, 19th and the 20th. The coldest nights were the 13th with 1.2C, 20th with 2C and the 7th with 2.3C. The weather was warm 6th to the 9th with the warmest day of the month, 23.6C on the 8th as summer arrived early. The period from the 10th to 12th was cooler but still above average. This was the main feature of the month where the cool spells were still above normal. Temperatures from the 13th to the 22nd sat around the mid teens with little variation. The weather warmed up from the 23rd to the 30th with twenties being breached on the 24th, 25th, 27th and the 30th with 2nd highest temperature of the month being reached, this being 22.6C on the 25th. Upper teens were reached on the 26th.
April was another dry spring month coming as the 11th driest on record. The "wettest" day was the 15th with 4.0mm. Storm Dave didn't bring any notable rain. There weren't any long dry periods like last Spring but amounts were mostly under 1mm when breaking the run of dry days. The longest run of which was 6 days between the 19th and the 26th. Briefly it seems there was a chance of some thundery rain on the 27th but the shower split as it reached Sheffield with the more active section developing more out to the W and taking the thunder and lightning across the moors in the peak district rather than hitting Sheffield.
April briefly bucked the trend in regards to windy weather. 56mph was hit on the 4th as Storm Dave passed through. The winds did start picking up very well for Storm Dave however instead of increasing during the evening as forecast they dropped off and only briefly increased again before midnight then dropped away again moderating during the morning of the 5th. There wasn't any windy weather after the 4th although it was breezy on a some days.
There wasn't Snow during the month although cooler air did produce some hail showers on the 5th.
The month didn't see any Thundery showers or Thunderstorms.
May looks to start more unsettled with some showers and spell of heavy rain for the bank holiday. The weather looks to remain unsettled with showers and some more prolonged spells of rain right up to the middle of the month. Temperatures heading to just below normal before turning milder round the middle of the month. The second half of the month looks more settled with high pressure closer to the country but some weather front still effecting the far N of the country. Temperatures ending up just above average due to the milder 2nd half and rainfall close to or just below average.
| April's Averages, Highs and Lows | ||
|---|---|---|
| Average Temp 8.8C | Last Months Average 10.6C | Difference from average 1.8C |
| Average Max Temp 13.3C | Last Months Average 16.0C | Difference from average 2.7C |
| Average Min Temp 4.4C | Last Months Average 5.1C | Difference From Average 0.7C |
| High Max 23.6C on the 8th | Low Max 9.9C on the 5th | Highest Daily Range 18.3C on the 30th |
| High Min 10.2C on the 9th | Low Min 1.2C on the 13th | Lowest Daily Range 3.2C on the 1st |
| Number of Air Frosts 0 | Days of Thunder 0 | Days of Snow 0 |
| Days of Measurable Rain 12 Days | Days of Rain with trace 7 Days | Days with Gusts ≥ 50 mph 1 day |
| Average Rainfall 56.1mm | This Months Average 14.7mm | Percentage of Average Rainfall 26.2% |