April 2015 Summary

In Brief:
Mostly fine and dry.

Temperature: [Minimum]:
The lowest night-time temperature for the month was 2.8 degs C on the night of the 5th/6th. 10.1 degs C was the highest night-time minimum for the month, recorded on the night of the 23rd/24th, however this was exceeded in March [10.5].  Furthermore, since at least 2004 the maximum April night-time temperature has always exceeded this figure.
The average night-time temperature for the month was 6.77 degs C, the second lowest for April since 2004, just, as 6.76 was the average in 2010.
The temperature fell below 5 degs C on 8 nights in 2015, the most times this has happened since 2004, equalling 2010.

Temperature: [Maximum]:
Maximum temperatures for the month ranged from 10.5 degs C on the 3rd, to 22.6 degs C on the 15th.  This was the hottest April day at this location since records began in 2004.  Previously this was 21.5 recorded in 2010 and 2011.  It was also the hottest day since 30th September 2014.
The average maximum temperature for April 2015 was 15.98 degs C, making it the third warmest April since 2004, beaten by 2007 [16.78] and 2011 [16.93].
The temperature exceeded 20 degs C on two days, the other being the 6th*. This is only the 5th April since 2004 in which this has occurred, and two is the most number of times it has happened, equalling 2010.

*Note that the 6th was not only the second warmest day of the month, but was also the day following the month's coldest night, thus giving an unusually wide night/day temperature span of 17.9 degs C.

Rainfall:
18.6 mm of rain fell during April 2015, compared to 65.0 mm in March, and 70.2 mm in April 2014.
This made it the driest month since September 2014 and the second driest April of the last eight. 2011 was drier, with 11.1 mm. 
The 3rd was not only the coldest day of the month, it was also the wettest with 7.1 mm.
There were 20 completely dry days during April 2015 and 22 with no measurable rain.  These figures were slightly exceeded in Aprils 2010 and 2011.
Only 2.7 mm of rain was recorded between the 4th and the 24th.  The only day besides the 3rd with more than 2 mm of rain was the 29th [6.3 mm].

Cumulatively 382.2 mm of rain has fallen in the period January to April 2015.  This compares with 625.8 mm during the same period in 2014 [-38.9%].  Although this is well down on the year, it is still the third wettest January to April period since 2009.

Thunder:
None this month.