When will it rain?

[Len W]

Met Office say for us in SW Devon there is a 40% chance of rain on Thurs afternoon 29th.

BBC/Meteogroup are having none of it. They are going for Tues afternoon 4th My with only 17% chance of light rain.  All very uncertain.

The dryness goes on.

This year Feb to April we have had only 109.4 mm.

This compares to the 30 yr average of 237.0 mm.

Len

Wembury, SW Devon, 83 m asl

[Graham Easterling]

There's been some slightly bizarre wording on the MetO site lately. For instance, for SW England it currently says "Drier on Wednesday". I'm still searching for the preceding wet weather. In fact Wednesday seems to have the first real chance of rain in the SW, according to the MetO 5 day symbols, 30% at one point apparently.

Feb to April here 137.2mm. Norm 270.6mm

Some very attractive decaying frontal cloud late afternoon, also much improved visibility.

Looks like mainly inland showers between now and the month's end, as far as SW England is concerned. I'd hate to get rain now I'm so close to a new April record!

Graham

Penzance

[Brian Wakem]

Feb to April rain here is just 71.2mm.  April so far has seen 0.6mm, all of which was snow.

-- 

Brian Wakem

Lower Bourne, Farnham, Surrey

http://www.brianwakem.co.uk/weather

Live obs @ 09:03:14 : 8.4C, DP 3.8C, RH 73%, 0.0 mm

[Julian Mayes]

The latest EC 00h run is rather tantalising for the drought-stricken SE.  Very bullish in pushing rain from the NE moving low heading to the Low Countries across SE England.  

It seems to be an outlier - at present, anyway.  St James's Park's 0.0 mm this month is genuine, by the way, the snow (I checked the pptn totals on the day of the snow moving east - it fizzled out by the time it reached cen London). Maybe some parts of E London also on 0.0mm?    Showers Tues - Weds likely to be advected westwards in the E flow before before affecting SE - typical April situation with stable E flows off cold N Sea.  

Julian   

[Graham Easterling]

Latest in a run of big gorse fires. https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/19257383.large-gorse-fire-breaks-hill-redruth/  By no means the biggest, that was at Bartinney on the Penwith moors on 6th April, but probably the most threatening to houses.

Still a very gusty E wind here, gusting >40mph at John Chappell's site near Lands End all day. The strength of the wind has greatly reduced the diurnal temperature range. 15.8C max yesterday, 8.9 minimum last night, it was around 11.5C @ midnight. A degree or so cooler today. Warmest spots in Cornwall along the north coast, Newquay currently 16C.

The lack of prevailing (or once prevailing!) SW winds over such a long period means some re-organisation of where the sand's accumulating & being eroded on beaches.

Graham

Penzance

[Graham Easterling]

Rained here last night, 2 or 3 showers, total 3.8mm, bringing the months rainfall to 7.3mm.  From the radar etc. I think most of  todays showery rain will be to the east. Looks like quite a bit fell in SE Devon?

There have no been 4 'rain days' this month, though 2 of them only saw 0.2mm.

From a records perspective, shame the dry spell didn't tie in more closely with a calendar month.

Graham

Penzance

On Saturday, 24 April 2021 at 19:35:19 UTC+1 Len W wrote:

[Len W]

Rained started at 0923 BST today. Not very heavy but it is continuing off and on.

The first rain since 12th Apr. 16 days ago.

Len

Wembury

[Brian Wakem]

We've had a few spots today but nothing recordable.

-- 

Brian Wakem

Lower Bourne, Farnham, Surrey

http://www.brianwakem.co.uk/weather

Live obs @ 10:30:25 : 9.1C, DP 5.5C, RH 78%, 0.0 mm

[Len W]

Rain total today was 0.3 mm. Bringing the month of April total to 2.0 mm.

The drought continues.

Huge cracks in the farmers' fields.

Len

Wemniry, SW Devon

[Metman2012]

here in Cholsey we've had 11.4mm today, not sure this much was expected but very welcome.

[Nick Gardner]

A total of 9.6 mm fell during the early morning on the 28th, brings the monthly total to 11.0 mm. Doesn't seem to have made any difference, ground still bone dry.  Showers are forecast for tomorrow, it will only take a few more millimetres to surpass my previous driest April in 2015 (14.4 mm).

Clouded over a bit this afternoon from the unbroken sunshine of the morning, even so, this is now my sunniest April with the total at 263 hours as of 18:45 today.

Interesting to note that my average sunshine for April (2006 to 2021) has now gone above 200 hours (currently 202 hours) making April join those other 200+ hour months of May, June & July. August is creeping up towards 200 hours after a run of very dull Augusts around 2008 to 2012 and is now at 196 hours. 

[Len W]

No recordable rain again today despite a few spits and spots from passing spent showers.

Total for April still 2.0 mm which will easily beat record unless we get a deluge tomorrow. My lowest total is 14.8 mm in 2011. Record began 1985.

For Plymouth the lowest April total is 3 mm in 1976. Record began 1874.

Len

Wembury

[Graham Easterling]

Up to 8.2mm for the month here, I think that might be it, all inland stuff from now until Monday's rain? 

Driest April here since 7.8mm in 2017. (I recorded 26.5mm in 2011). It's No. 2 in the charts.

Average minimum will be easily a new record, average maximum will probably end up 0.7C below normal.

So far 244 hours of sunshine up at Bosullow & more to come. Shame there's no sunshine recorded somewhere like Sennen, away from all the land based Cu, there's been complete absence of any sea mist. I think on windward coasts, especially close to Lands End, it must be at least 260 hours so far.  Similar to the Lleyn peninsula & Jersey.

Graham

Penzance

[Julian Mayes]

Only 3.9mm here so far this month.   Dry daytime today - showers to the north were very light and Luton seemed to put them off making further progress southwards. 

Yesterday's system failed to give the hoped-for rain in eastern E Anglia and Kent that was suggested in the forecast chart I posted further up this thread.  Berks and NW London did OK yest evening (see Northolt in the extremes list) but that was about it. 

Julian   

Molesey

[Len W]

Some proper rain.

3.5 mm rain this afternoon. Making it 5.5 mm for the month of April. A record low.

As elsewhere. A cool, dry and sunny month.

Len

Wembury