 |
 |
 |
|
|
APRIL 2008 The cold theme which has dominated spring 2008, continued during April with no real spring warmth coming until near the end of the month. Many large trees were still not in leaf even by the penultimate week of the month. Although things got off to a reasonable start, it wasn’t long before an Arctic northerly blast brought sleet and snow showers to many areas between the 6th and 8th. This also resulted in a succession of ground frosts. I can’t remember experiencing so many ground frosts in succession during a mid spring month as we did this April. Apart from one night on the 12th when the temperature didn’t quite make it to Freezing, there were 10 nights of successive ground frosts, the most damaging of which occurred on the 15th when -3.4°C was recorded. The northerlies finally gave way to cold east or north easterly winds, meaning temperatures were further suppressed. In fact between the 18th and 20th the temperature struggled to only 9°C or so which is only 48°F. We experienced higher temperatures in January! Low pressure meant we had our fair share of April showers, some of which were heavy with hail and thunder. This isn’t uncommon in April, but coupled with the cold days, many people began to wonder if spring would ever properly arrive. Hail actually occurred on 6 days and we had a number of thunderstorms to boot. This meant that some areas may have had above average rainfall during what is normally one of the drier months of the year. The rainfall total for the month of 51.5mm was just above average. Towards the end of the month we finally managed to feel some real spring warmth with 21°C 70°F being recorded here in Nottingham on the 26th thanks to southerly winds. However, it didn’t last long, and by the end of the month a deep low pressure system swept into the UK bringing more rain and lower temperatures once again. Let’s hope May can offer something better. I think we deserve it. Colin Harwood |
|
|
|
Garden
BirdWatch | BTO
Home | CJ
WildBird Foods Home |