April showers absent as month breaks records

It was the warmest, sunniest and driest April in almost a century, according to figures released by Met Éireann today.

The meteorological service said high pressure over the country for most of April gave temperatures about three degrees above average - weather more typical in May.

Mean monthly air temperatures varied between 10°C and 11.5°C.

"It was the warmest April on record almost everywhere, including the long-term stations of Birr, Malin Head and Dublin (Phoenix Park), where records began more than a century ago," Met Éireann said.

Monthly rainfall totals were also well below normal except in the northwest. Following mostly dry weather during the last week of March, some stations recorded no measureable rainfall at all until April 22nd.

It was the driest April on record at both Shannon Airport and Casement Aerodrome, while at many other stations it was the driest for between 10 and 27 years. There were only between two and six wet days (days with 1mm or more rainfall), with almost all of the month's rainfall recorded between April 21st and 25th.

It was the sunniest April on record almost everywhere, with monthly totals around 50 per cent higher than normal generally.

Despite the good weather, however, minimum temperatures fell sharply on several nights during April. Under clear skies there were between 12 and 18 ground frosts recorded at inland stations, around a third more than normal for April.