April was a mixed and uninspiring month that trended to the poor side. It had no real warmth about it with the mean maximum temperature falling below average and whilst the number of frosts finished on average, the mean minimum temperature for the month was above average. Whilst the total rainfall finished above average, none of the daily falls were excessive and April remains as the only month in my records never to have exceeded 100mm. The trend of the month was for a run of rainy days followed by a few drier days before the rainy days returned.

  Just two days in the month attained 15°c with the day-time maxima mainly subdued due to the winds predominantly coming from the NE-SE. Frosts weren't an issue, although ground frosts fell on a regular basis.

  High pressure, even if not in charge of our weather, was never too far away and subsequently, apart from the one occasion, the incursion of any Atlantic frontal systems tended to be weak. The most unsettled period of the month fell 9-14th, but especially 11-12th when a more significant low pressure system brought a period of very strong winds and rainfall, heaviest in the LDNP.

  After fronts cleared away from the UK during the 1st, High pressure (HP) Scandinavia ridged down over the UK for the next few days, giving a spell of dry and settled weather - a respite following a particularly wet second half to March. The 1st was cloudy, with clear skies but then the sun broke out during the afternoon of the 2nd and remained through to p.m. on the 4th. Temperatures saw day-time maxima at or near to average, and after mild nights 1st and 2nd, a pair of air frost then followed.

  That HP was squeezed east later on the 4th as a frontal system arrived from the Atlantic, which ultimately brought a spell of rain in the early hours of the 5th and which continued for the rest of the day and then also overnight into the 6th. Behind these fronts HP in the south ridged north to provide two decent days 7-8th, again with a pair of air frosts but in the afternoon sunshine temperatures rose quite nicely, 14.4°c recorded on the 8th.

  It then became unsettled - the 9-14th saw a succession of low pressure (LP) systems arrive from off the Atlantic and it became that April mix of sun, showers and a few longer periods of rain. Each day saw some rain with temperatures generally below average by day and above average by night. During this period the 11th saw a lively LP system quickly develop to the SW and move NE across the UK which brought a spell of rain (12.2 mm), but more noticeably strong and gusty winds in the evening, a peak gust of 58 Mph, being especially high for the time of year. And in a total mixed bag of weather, the 12th could only manage a maximum of 7.3°c, a month's low.

  From the 15th the weather became more settled as initially the pressure gradient slackened before HP ridged down from Norway. Initially a weak front lay over the UK and whilst the 15th enjoyed plenty of sun, it kept the 16-17th cloudy and somewhat murky with a little drizzle. However, the 18-20th all saw reasonable amounts of sunshine with day-time maxima being reasonable (between 14-15°c), but not quite balmy due to an easterly airflow.

  With these three days also being dry it maintained the 20th's record of being the driest day of the year. Since my records began (now 16yrs for April) the most that it has ever recorded is 0.5 mm.

  The month's warmest day would follow on the 21st (15.6°c) and which also saw a little sunshine with variable amounts of cloud. This was ahead of a LP system in the SE moving north into the UK, its frontal system bringing rain overnight into the 22nd and throughout the day - technically that overnight rain (14.9 mm) is credited back to the 21st which saw it being both the warmest and wettest day of the month!

  Come the 24th a northerly flow was being drawn down over the UK as the LP from the previous days cleared east. As a consequence they were much chillier, dry and with some spells of sunshine, the 25th being the best of the three. However, day-time maxima notably dipped, both the 24-25th failing to attain 10°c, the former peaking at just 8.5°c, but the latter under clear skies notching up the month's coldest night at -3.3°c.

  The final few days of the month were all cloudy with day-time maxima back above the seasonal average, but with that cloud cover the nights were very mild.

  MSLP of 1016.4 Mb was +0.7 MB above average for the month and overall a mean minimum of 3.20°c and a mean maximum of 12.05°c saw the temperature 0.09°c below the fourteen year average for this site.

  It was the coldest April since 2021 and since the record began (in 2009), nine have been warmer and five colder - the highest maximum temperature recorded during the month being 15.6°c (21st), the lowest minimum -3.3°c (25th).

  Rainfall of 71.7 mm (Maulds Meaburn North 70.8 mm -- Castlehowe Scar 98.3 mm) was 142.8% of average for 2008-22, making it the wettest April since 2016. In a record that commenced in 2008, twelve have been drier and three have been wetter.

  During the month the following 'days of' were recorded: Snow/Sleet on one day -- the wind speed averaged 5.50 mph, with a maximum gust of 58 mph (11th).

  We had 7 Air Frosts in the month (year 32)          --          Grass Frosts totalled 16 (year 59).

  The 1 foot soil temp ranged from a low of 7.9°c on the 13th        to      a high of 10.8°c on the 30th     --      with a monthly mean of 9.0°c

  The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 7.9°c on the 1st, 3rd and 4th      to      a high of 9.2°c on the 26th     --     with a monthly mean of 8.5°c

   This makes the Jan' to April period of 2023 0.64°c warmer than the average for 2009-22 and with 99.6% of average rainfall for 2008-22

  At the Met' Office site at Shap a mean minimum of 2.1°c and a mean maximum of 11.1°c saw the monthly mean temperature 0.15°c below average. It was the warmest April since 2020. In a record back to 1992 (one year with no data) 17 have been warmer and 12 colder.

  Rainfall of 91.8 mm represents 98.3% of its average. It was the wettest April since 2018 and in a record that commenced in 1989, 18 have been drier and 16 have been wetter.

  Cumbria Rainfall - broadly average, but with wide deviations

  Rainfall totals across the county varied quite markedly from the LTA with no particular geographic pattern, although the NW was more broadly drier than average.

  Firstly, an apparent anomaly - the highest rainfall total (172.4 mm) for the month was recorded at Ennerdale Black Sail, slightly ahead of Mickleden, yet the lowest percentage fall (41.8%) was found not very far away at Ennerdale Bleach Green!

  The percentage at Bleach Green was far below the next driest, 68% at both Aisgill and Bewcastle - however, Brampton finished with the lowest total for the county with just 38.5 mm.

  Yet many locations did record a wetter than average month, Sebergham at 149.4% the wettest when expressed as a percentage.

  Whilst Seathwaite recorded the greatest 24Hr total of 54.6 mm (11th) of anywhere in the UK during the month, Mickleden returned the greatest overall fall during the month's wettest period (10-12th).

  Its 106.8 mm for those days being somewhat ahead of Seathwaite's 94.6 mm - but considerably ahead of the 13.6 mm at Quarry Hill Filter (NW Cumbria between Boltongate and Mealsgate), but which saw Mickleden and others record over 60% of their monthly total in just those three days.

  Impacts - none known.

  Thunder - in the NE of the county on the 14th - At Brampton the skies darkened around 3pm, flash of lightning followed by a huge boom. Another flash 10 minutes later and a longer but more distant rumble, brief hail and that was it.

  Silloth - also 14th - Funnel Cloud spotted.

  Figures from the Environment Agency's rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1991-2020)   'Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Environment Agency (Penrith)':

  At Appleby in Westmorland rainfall of 57.4 mm represents 121.1% of its average (1857-2022) and made it the wettest since 2016 - in a record that commenced in 1857, 114 have been drier and 52 have been wetter.

  Kirkby Thore 60.0 mm -- (44.6 mm)

  Haresceugh Castle (Kirkoswald) 81.57 mm -- (62.5 mm)

  Brothers Water 109.82 mm -- (141.3 mm)

  Orton (Shallowford) 78.8 mm -- (77.4 mm [average for 1967-2022]) - making it the dri/wettest since ??? and since 1967 when the record commenced, ?? have been drier and ?? have been wetter.

  Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale) 156.2 mm -- (179.9 mm [average for 1845-2022]) - making it the wettest since 2018 and since 1845 when the record commenced, 85 have been drier and 93 have been wetter.