Locally the third warmest April on record since 1914 continued the mild start to the year, but otherwise April was fairly typical for the month with the mix of sun, showers and a few longer spells of rain although no one day was excessively wet. The month was unsettled at both its start and end but, we had the 'usual' April drier spell (8-20th) when high pressure built. The 'typical April weather' was more noticeable in the final ten days (after fine weather over the whole Easter Bank Holiday) when with low pressure dominant we could experience rain, murk, showers, sun, warm and cool all on the same day.

   Mean SLP at 1013.7 Mb was exactly on average and we had an anomalous south easterly flow and once again frost wasn't an issue.

   Overall a mean minimum of 5.28°c and a mean maximum of 13.02°c saw the temperature some 1.7°c above the 1981-2010 average, making it the warmest April since only 2011 (the warmest on record) and indeed locally since 1914 April has only had a mean temperature in excess of 9.0°c on four occasions.

   It was the driest April since 2011 (or the wettest since 2013!) and rainfall locally was typically quite average for April, but with a few local differences. Seathwaite only had 67% of the April average, with Newton Rigg and Kirby Thore below 90% of average, yet Brothers Water, Nunwick Hall and here at Maulds Meaburn all had just over 100% of average. At Newton Rigg (46.2 mm - EA gauge) in a series back to 1914, it was the 55th wettest April (3 years of incomplete data).

   Figures from the Environment Agency’s rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1961-90)   ‘Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Environment Agency (Penrith)’:

   Kirkby Thore 46.6 mm (55.4 mm)

   Brothers Water 133.8 mm (129 mm)

   Nunwick Hall 47.4 mm (45.7 mm) and

   120.6 mm at Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale - 179 mm).

   1st - 4th    The month started on an unsettled theme with low pressure (LP) to the west of the UK that gave an assortment of fronts that brought rain and quite murky conditions. It was also quite cool during this period with an ESE'ly wind drawn in and the 2nd at just 8.8°c (47.8°f) was the month's coldest day.

   The days were quite gloomy with a virtually permanent shroud of murk and by the end of the period that LP was centred over the UK with a waving front running north to south that brought 9.0 mm of rain overnight 3rd/4th.

  5th - 8th    The only difference through this period was that the winds veered south westerly as LP in the Atlantic became dominant.

   That LP system was complex and pushed weather fronts over the UK each day bringing wet and windy conditions. The 6th saw winds gust to 59 mph and the 7th had 9.4 mm of rain and the first seven days of the month had all seen 100% cloud cover at the morning observation hour of 1000 Hrs. With the blanket of cloud frost wasn't an issue with some mild nights, 9.3°c (48.7°f) on the 6th the month's warmest night.

   The various fronts and troughs cleared east 8th leaving us in a brisk and chilling north westerly airflow, but finally it was at least somewhat brighter.

  9th - 21st    It then generally became settled and dry with increasing amounts of sunny spells as high pressure (HP) became established, although not exclusively.

   Initially with HP to the south of the UK we were sat at its northern most edge and which resulted in a westerly flow over that top edge and day-time temperatures remained on the low side. But that HP then began to ridge in from the southwest on the 11th, extending further across the UK.

   This gave a day of sunny spells (11th) but a weakening cold front associated to LP over Iceland then slowly trundled east giving some light rain and cloudier conditions 12-13th.

   But once again HP re-established itself from the southwest and the 14-16th saw some long sunny spells. A cold front interrupted the fine weather (17th) giving a cool and cloudy day, but remained dry - now the Easter bank holiday was upon us.

   All in all it was a fine and sunny Bank Holiday weekend as HP once again re-established itself over the UK. Good Friday (18th) was the pick of the days with cloudless blue skies and wall to wall sun.

   Those cloudless skies led to the only air frosts of the month with both the 18-19th starting with a frost, the 18th being the month's coldest at -1.3°c (29.7°f). From the 19th the HP was centred over Norway and extended a ridge south west over the UK. Whilst the sun was more hazy come the Monday (21st) as an occluding front associated to LP southwest of the UK moved over the UK, it was also the month's warmest day at 18.5°c (65.3°f).

  22nd - 30th    It then became unsettled as the LP introduced on the 21st became more dominant and would remain in charge to the month's end. It was more a case of typical April weather with the mix of sun, showers and a few longer periods of rain.

   LP would sit to the southwest of the UK and then slowly track along the English Channel, broadening out slightly as it did so. An occluded front spiralling of the LP would be troublesome for a big part of the period making several visits to our area and bringing those spells of rain.

   Generally it was also that bit cloudier with night-time temperatures remaining well above average whilst day-time temperatures were a mix and match - cool (typically 12-13°c) when it remained cloudy with that rain, but quite reasonable (typically 16-17°c) on the afternoons when the sun did managed to come out - but, whichever way it was still above the average day-time maximum (11.6°c) for April. Rain was not excessive and typically 3-5 mm (22nd-24th) which included some hail at 1800 hrs 24th.

   The 25th saw the occluded front that had brought the rain on the 23rd/24th track back south west across the UK and with further fronts spiralling up from the south, giving 7.1mm. The HP over Scandinavia had caused the occlusion to become static, unable to venture any further and finally pushing it back over the UK.

   But with the LP in the Channel broadening out it did become quieter towards the month's end with the 29th an especially decent sunny day and quite warm at 18.4°c before the cloud built in the late afternoon.

   That troublesome occluded front would venture back on the 30th to give a dull and overcast day with 3.2 mm from late afternoon.

   Rainfall totalled 61.5 mm for the month, with rain recorded on 12 days of which 11 were 'Wet days' (1.0mm +).

   The Mean Temperature for the month was 9.15°c      --      The Mean Max' was   13.02°c     --      The Mean Min'   5.28°c.

   We had 2 Air Frosts in the month (year 12)                  --      Grass frosts totalled 7 (year 47).

   The 1 foot soil temp ranged from a low of 8.2°c on the 1st        to      a high of 11.6°c on the 30th     --      with a monthly mean of 9.5°c

   The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 7.0°c on the 1st     to      a high of 9.4°c on the 29-30th     --     with a monthly mean of 8.2°c

COMPARISONS:-

   * April 2014 rainfall was 108.5% of the April average for 2008 - 2013

   * April 2014 was 1.26°c warmer than the April average for 2009 - 2013 and 1.7°c warmer than the local long term average 1981-2010

 * The 3 month mean for February/March/April 2014 is                    TEMP'     6.85°c         --          RAIN    389.5 mm


  *                     February/March/April 2013 was                   TEMP'     3.54°c         --          RAIN    151.1 mm

  *                     February/March/April 2012 was                   TEMP'     5.83°c         --          RAIN    160.9 mm

  *                     February/March/April 2011 was                   TEMP'     6.91°c         --          RAIN    278.3 mm

  *                     February/March/April 2010 was                   TEMP'     4.68°c         --          RAIN    122.0 mm

  *                     February/March/April 2009 was                   TEMP'     6.01°c         --          RAIN    113.3 mm

  *                     February/March/April 2008 was                                            --          RAIN    285.1 mm


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                                  * 2014      To Date                   TEMP      6.26°c         --         RAIN    609.2 mm

                                  * 2013  Jan - April                   TEMP'     3.37°c         --         RAIN    262.7 mm

                                  * 2012  Jan - April                   TEMP'     5.32°c         --         RAIN    251.6 mm

                                  * 2011  Jan - April                   TEMP'     5.80°c         --         RAIN    420.9 mm

                                  * 2010  Jan - April                   TEMP'     3.60°c         --         RAIN    158.6 mm

                                  * 2009  Jan - April                   TEMP'     5.38°c         --         RAIN    339.5 mm

                                  * 2008  Jan - April                   TEMP'                    --         RAIN    511.3 mm