With the sunniest April for the UK since records began there has been lots of fine weather. It has been warmer than average but many parts of the UK have again not seen much rain.
April 2025 has been sunny, the sunniest April on record. It’s been warmer than average taking the UK as a whole and dry for much of Britain.
It was the sunniest April for the UK since records began in 1910. The sunniest April on record for England and for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, it was the second sunniest. England also recorded its sunniest March on record which is a very sunny spring. The spring months for meteorological data are March, April and May.
April started with high pressure over the UK, there was an interruption mid-month with more unsettled weather as low pressures moved in. Then back to high pressure and settled dry weather and the very warm spell to end the month.
These clear skies and sunshine allowed daytime temperatures to rise with air from the south later in April rather than the chilly northeasterly flow that had brought colder nights and an edge to how the days felt mid-month.
Temperatures
The UK has recorded its third warmest April (for mean temperature) with temperatures 1.7°C above average. 2011 was the warmest April in a series that began in 1884.
“The high mean temperatures were chiefly influenced by higher-than-average daytime temperatures, though it was also warmer than average overnight.” MO
You would expect the temperatures to rise as the month progressed with more sunlight hours as we move away from the winter half of the year to the summer. It was the last day of the month when the highest temperature was recorded, 26.7C on 30 April Wisley in Surrey. UK wide warmth brought an early taste of summer to much of the UK. All the regions of England recorded 24C+ somewhere with 24.1C in Northern Ireland and the top temperature in Wales was 25.8C. Scotland saw 21 to 24C and even in the Northern Isles, Orkney reached 17C. Quite an end to the month before the warmest 1st May on record with 29.3C at Kew Gardens for May Day.
Data from Roostweather.com April rainfall by nation and regions, blue actual rainfall in mm and grey climate average.
Rainfall
Speaking to farmers, particularly in northeastern Britain, the lack of rain is their main concern. The warmer, sunny weather has helped the grass shoot up as and with dry weather, that has helped the first silage cut begin leaving plenty of time for the next growth. However, the lack of rainfall in parts of Britain is impacting crops and we are beginning to alerts for water resources.
In Scotland, SEPA the Scottish Environental Protection Agency issued their usual first Water Scarcity report of the season
“April continued to be a dry month for many parts of Scotland, particularly in the east. Parts of Aberdeenshire recorded less than a third of the average monthly rainfall for April. Many areas have now experienced prolonged periods of below-average rainfall. Due to this continued dry weather, the water scarcity situation has deteriorated in many areas.”
Taking the UK as a whole 56% of the usual April rainfall was recorded, so just over half. However, Northern Ireland was wet with above-average rainfall, 114%, particularly in the middle of the month. Northern England and northeastern Scotland were particularly dry.
England and Scotland saw about half their average April rainfall with 50% and 48% respectively. Northern England only received 25% of its average rainfall compared to 66% for southern England. Some stations in NE ENlgnad recorded less than 5mm of rain, all month!
These differences are highlighted further by comparing NE to SW England with Tyne & Wear seeing its second driest April (in a series since 1838) and Cornwall was wet with 169% of its average.
From the Env.Agency in England, their weekly report 23rd-29th April “It has been a return to dry conditions across England, with the highest rainfall total of just 3mm being received in the south-west. “
It is the autumn and winter rains that are important as we move towards summer when demand for water increases. Across the UK Autumn was dry in the north and wet in central southern Britain. Winter was dry for Northern Ireland, central and southern Scotland and the far north of England. And now for March and April, two-thirds of spring we have seen a lot of dry weather.
River levels “Two sites were classed as being notably high for the time of year, [one in the SW and one in the SE]. Fifteen sites (27%) were classed as below normal, and 18% (10 sites) were classed as notably low for the time of year. Finally, 10 sites (18%) were classed as exceptionally low for the time of year, including all sites in north-east England. “ EA
People may have been enjoying the warmth, sunshine and fine weather but the fields still need the rain, the reservoirs looking for water. Again there are warnings about wildfire risk as there is still plenty of fuel (dry vegetation) lying about with more of a breeze. It’s not all about how high the air temperatures are, it's about ground conditions and potential human behaviours. With a bank holiday weekend coming up, lots of people will be out and about in the strong sunshine, even if the air has a fresher feel to it.
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