April could be the hottest since records began 350 years ago

April could be the hottest since records began 350 years ago

Many parts of Britain has basked in one of the hottest, and driest, Aprils on record and the weathermen have said there are early indications that the past month could be the hottest since records began 350 years ago.

The Met Office have recorded the average temperature in Manchester, Bristol and London combined since 1659 and the average between the three cities was 11.8 Celsius – more than four degrees above the normal temperature.

The mean for the UK as a whole was 10.7 degrees up to April 28 – again almost four degrees higher than normal.

A Met office spokesman said: “We are confidently predicting this will have been the hottest April on record.”

The warm, dry weather is set to continue into May, which is good news for sun-lovers and the tourism industry but will see reservoir levels continue to fall.

A high-pressure system in the Atlantic is keeping rains away from the UK.
Jonathan Powell, senior forecaster at Positive Weather Solutions, said:

“There is a very stark and real danger of a drought this summer.

“Some places will inevitably see hosepipe bans at some point as there is no substantial rainfall on the way.”

In 1995, after a wet winter exceptionally dry weather from April through to September saw reservoir levels in some parts of the UK drop to less than 20 per cent and 20 million people living under hosepipe bans.

Some national newspapers are reporting that the situation is worse in rural areas where agriculture requires large amounts of water – and farmers says soils are drier than they would expect in July or August.

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