April 2024 Climate Spherical-Up – Astronotes

APRIL WARMER, WETTER, AND DULLER THAN AVERAGE

Armagh Observatory, third Might 2024:

Armagh Observatory experiences that April 2024 at Armagh was hotter, wetter, and duller than common. The imply temperature, roughly 9.2 levels Celsius, was 1.3 C hotter than the 225-year long-term (1796–2020) April common at Armagh (7.92 C), and 0.4 C hotter than the latest (1991–2020) 30-year common (8.80 C). Whole rainfall was 61.2 mm together with 4 hint values. This was 16% greater than the 183-year long-term common at Armagh (52.75 mm), and 9.5% greater than the latest (1991–2020) 30-year common (55.9 mm). The overall variety of hours of robust sunshine (127.5 hours) was roughly 85% of the latest (1991–2020) 30-year common (149.9 hours).

An indication of this yr’s warmer-than-average April is that the date of the primary swallow seen on the Observatory this yr was the sixteenth, with extra swallows recorded on the twenty fifth. Lately the date of the primary swallow on the Observatory has been across the finish of April or early Might.

The very best most air temperature, or warmest day, was 19.2 C on the twenty first, adopted by 16.8 C on the eleventh, and 16.6 C on the fifth. The bottom most air temperature, often the good day, was 9.4 C on the first, adopted by 9.6 C on the seventeenth, and 10.0 C on the eighth.

The very best minimal air temperature, often the warmest evening, was a really gentle 12.2 C on the twelfth. This was the warmest April evening at Armagh for 13 years, that’s, because the evening of the sixth of April 2011 (12.6 C). It was additionally the fifth warmest April evening at Armagh since day by day data of most and minimal temperatures started round 1844. This very gentle April evening was adopted by a minimal temperature of 10.4 C attributed to the sixth, though occurring shortly earlier than midnight on the fifth. This was adopted in flip by 9.3 C attributed to the eleventh, though this highest minimal temperature really occurred across the time of observations (09:00 GMT) on the tenth. The bottom minimal air temperature, often the good evening, was -0.9 C on the twenty eighth, adopted by -0.8 C on the twenty seventh, and 1.7 C on the twentieth.

There have been a number of fairly sharp floor frosts among the many 14 nights with recorded grass minimal temperatures lower than or equal to zero Celsius, the good of which have been -7.8 C on the twenty seventh, -7.7 C on the twenty eighth, and -4.9 C on the twenty fifth. There have been solely two days, the twenty eighth and twenty seventh, with night-time air frosts.

Storm Kathleen, the 14th named storm to have considerably affected one or one other a part of the UK and Eire throughout the current 2023/2024 storm season, introduced robust winds on the sixth, generally approaching close to gale power. This storm was additionally related to an unusually low atmospheric strain for April, recorded at Armagh as roughly 979.4 mbar diminished to imply sea degree. This was the bottom April atmospheric strain at Armagh for 25 years, that’s, since 975.4 mbar occurred on the twenty first of April 1999. Whole precipitation was 61.20 mm together with 4 hint values, that’s, 61.0 mm if hint values are ignored. The wettest day was the 14th with a complete rainfall of 12.2 mm (0.48 inches), adopted by the eighth with 9.5 mm, and the 4th with 8.3 mm. A double rainbow with a supernumerary bow beneath was famous on the afternoon of the sixth. This too was related to the passage of Storm Kathleen. Showers with hail have been recorded across the center of the month on the thirteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth.

The 127.5 hours of robust sunshine represented 87.6% of the 140-year (1881–2020) long-term April common at Armagh (145.54 hours) and 85.1% the latest (1991–2020) 30-year common (149.87 hours). This April was subsequently duller than common, the dullest April at Armagh since April 2019 (108.5 hours of robust sunshine). The sunniest day was the
twentieth with 12.2 hours of robust sunshine, adopted by the seventh (10.7 hours) and the sixteenth (9.7 hours).

These information confer with observations at Armagh Observatory, which has been recording
the climate at Armagh since 1795.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Mark Bailey on the Armagh Observatory, School Hill, Armagh, BT61 9DG.

Tel.: 028-3752-2928;

mark.bailey@armagh.ac.uk;

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