UK records sunniest April on record as temperatures soar into May

April was the sunniest on record for the UK, with unusually warm temperatures and dry weather setting the stage for a scorching start to May.

Provisional Met Office figures show the country recorded its brightest April since records began in 1910, with England seeing its sunniest ever, and the other home nations their second sunniest.

It was also the UK’s third warmest April on record, with a mean temperature of 9.6C – 1.7C above the long-term average.

The Met Office said high pressure over the UK for much of the month led to cloud-free skies, strong sunshine and below-average rainfall.

Meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “The sun is as strong at this time of year as it is in August.

“Under high pressure, the air tends to sink, get compressed, and warm up – so it’s fair to say this latest period of very warm weather has been ‘home-grown’.”

The heat intensified at the end of the month, with 26.7C recorded at Wisley in Surrey on April 30 – making it the joint warmest April day on record.

But that was quickly overtaken on Thursday, when Kew Gardens in south-west London reached 28C – the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK on May 1.

It beat the previous record of 27.4C set in Lossiemouth, Moray, in 1990, and marked the warmest day of the year so far.

Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said: “It is quite unusual for temperatures to hit 25C fairly widely in April. The last time was in 2018, and before that April 2011.”

Rainfall was well below average for most of the UK last month, with just 56% of expected totals recorded.

Tyne and Wear had its second driest April on record, with only 7% of its usual rainfall.

With March also breaking sunshine records in England, the UK has now had its warmest and brightest start to spring since records began in the 19th century.

The sunniest April on record for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland was in 2021, with all three nations falling just short of those highs this year.