2.3mm fell between 0900GMT yesterday and 0900GMT this morning at Swanston (south Edinburgh) This brings the monthly total here to 5.5mm

The local variation here is very interesting because as I have already said above, there hasn't yet been a single official rain day during this month so far at Edinburgh Gogarbank whereas it would appear that there has been two rain days during this month so far at Swanston in the south of Edinburgh (what you have described above was obviously one of those rain days with the other one coming when there was those snow showers earlier on this month as any observation day where the total is 1.0 mm or above is still an official rain day, regardless of how that total comes about).

Just as a matter of interest, do you have any knowledge of when the driest April on record occurred at Swanston weather station and what the final total was for that particular month?

The reason why I ask that question is because it is perfectly possible that Swanston might avoid that scenario this month even if Edinburgh Gogarbank and the botanic gardens in Edinburgh both experience their driest April on record this time.

However, it may well also be the case that the lowest ever April total at Swanston is a bit higher than what it is is Edinburgh Gogarbank and the botanic gardens in Edinburgh, and it would be good to be able to find whether that is the case or not.

 

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John, I don't know when Swanston started recording. I can only see data from 2014. The driest April as a result was 2017 with only 4.4mm compared to 4.5mm in 2020 and 5.5mm (so far) in 2021

Certainly April can be one of our driest and sunniest months!

Regarding last night's rain, we had a fairly heavy burst briefly and another longer period of moderate rain. I wonder if the rain intensified as it came inland and up against modest altitude?

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John, I don't know when Swanston started recording. I can only see data from 2014. The driest April as a result was 2017 with only 4.4mm compared to 4.5mm in 2020 and 5.5mm (so far) in 2021

Certainly April can be one of our driest and sunniest months!

Regarding last night's rain, we had a fairly heavy burst briefly and another longer period of moderate rain. I wonder if the rain intensified as it came inland and up against modest altitude?

Possibly but then regardless of how that has come about, you have at least confirmed that this month isn't going to go down as the driest April on record at Swanston regardless of what happens there between now and the end of this month.

However, I still wouldn't be surprised if our local media such as the Edinburgh Evening News still goes on to report this month as being the driest April on record in Edinburgh anyway, as a result of that being the case at Edinburgh Gogarbank and the botanic gardens in Edinburgh as they are more likely to go by what is happening at those major stations which are close to or within the city centre, rather than at an outlying station such as Swanston.

 

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Noticed yesterday that Leuchars has recorded a total of 0.2 mms so far this month. Doubt if that will increase by much, if at all in the next week.

I believe this April is on course to be the driest ever. I think we're on 4 mm atm the record low is 5.5mm.

 

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I wonder what the top 10 driest Aprils are.

 

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The driest April on record across the UK was in 1938 when 14.1mm of rain was recorded, followed by April 1974 when 14.6mm of rain fell. In more recent years, the driest Aprils in the UK have been in 2007 when 26.6mm of rain was recorded and 2020 when the average was 29.1mm.

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The driest April on record across the UK was in 1938 when 14.1mm of rain was recorded, followed by April 1974 when 14.6mm of rain fell. In more recent years, the driest Aprils in the UK have been in 2007 when 26.6mm of rain was recorded and 2020 when the average was 29.1mm.

The driest April in the South East was in 1912 when 4.8mm was recorded. Cornwall has seen just 6% of its average rainfall for the month, while Dorset has seen even less of its usual with just 5%.In the City of London there has been 0.2mm of rain in April, while the Greater London area has seen 1.1mm. Scotland and Northern Ireland, which have been relatively wetter than other places, have still seen just 28% of their average rainfall.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/met-office-scotland-dorset-greater-london-tower-bridge-b931345.html (23 Apr)

Well - we're well in there for this to be the driest on record by some margin.

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April 1980 was very dry around these parts (NW England)

The dry weather persisted until after mid May

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As I mentioned in the gardening thread, the lawns are dust between patches of stunted grass. This has been a remarkable year in terms of surface soil moisture. We have had dust-lawns in 3 of the past 20 years here: 2007 2011 and last year, 2020. 2003 never quite made it. 

But this year we had a short period of partial lawn dust in February after persistent dry, breezy and very cold weather. That's an only.

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DAY       9   0.3 mm

           10   0.6 mm

           11   0.6 mm

           12   0.3 mm

 1.8 mm total this month.

The next fall of precipitation expected Tuesday 27th 21:00 - Wednesday 28th 07:00. 

  

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Here in Eastern Scotland it has been very dry too. I am sitting on 4mms so far this month and just down the coast at Leuchars it is 0.4mms. A few spits and spots this morning but not enough to register.

DAY       9   0.3 mm

           10   0.6 mm

           11   0.6 mm

           12   0.3 mm

 1.8 mm total this month.

The next fall of precipitation expected Tuesday 27th 21:00 - Wednesday 28th 07:00. 

  

 

Keeping my fingers crossed for some rain on Tuesday. The weather has been glorious here but incredibly dry.

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Looking at rainfall statistics on the Meteireann website, Western/NorthWestern locations in RoI haven't fared too badly in terms of rainfall with March rainfall amounts being around normal and April rainfall between 25% to 40% of normal. However, Eastern and Southern stations stations saw less than half of normal rainfall in March and less than 20% of normal in April with particularly low amounts recorded close to the East coast - just 2.7mm recorded at Johnstown Castle, outside Wexford town(right in the South East corner of the country). The forecast is for showers this week but I'm not optimistic about receiving very much here. Hopefully, we'll see rain soon. We're not quite at a critical stage yet but we would want to get rain sooner rather than later or we will be in a real drought situation.

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BBC forecasts saying some rain in the S.E and then East Anglia through Wednesday and Thursday. Implying amounts won't be that great. Well I wouldn't mind betting that I get no recordable rain during that period.

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A total of just 0.4 of rain has fallen at Edinburgh Gogarbank since 09:00 UTC (10am BST) yesterday morning as at 6am this morning, along with 0.4 mm of rain at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.

That brings this month's total as at 6am this morning to 2.2 mm at Edinburgh Gogarbank and 2.2 mm at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.

In order for this month to avoid going down as the driest April on record at either of those stations, a total of 1.0 mm of rain still needs to fall at Edinburgh Gogarbank between now and the end of the month, along with 2.0 mm at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.

As regards to the official observation day, we are still on Monday 26 April 2021 as I write because the current observation day won't end until 10am BST (09:00 UTC) this morning, but there are then just another 4 days left of this month after that.

We were supposed to have moved into a more unsettled spell of weather as from yesterday, but we have had very little rain from that so far.

Rain has also been forecast for today, but there are also no signs of that, and the Sun was even shining here in Edinburgh yet again, just a short time ago.

As long as this situation carries on where the rain fails to turn up here when we are expected to get it according to the official forecasts, this month is never going to be anything else other than our driest April on record at both of those stations.

 

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It's definitely raining now!

It's definitely raining now!

Yes and by 9am this morning, this had added a further 1.2 mm onto the total for Edinburgh Gogarbank since my last post on this thread and a further 0.6 mm onto the total for the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.

That actually makes yesterday, only the first official rain day of this month at Edinburgh Gogarbank, but that is also enough to mean that this month won't be going down as the driest April on record there after all, although a further 1.4 mm of rain was still needed at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh as at 9am this morning, in order to prevent that scenario from occurring there.

Since it looks as though there has been some more rain since 9am this morning, I can probably safely say that this month won't be going down as our driest April on record here in Edinburgh after all.

In order to beat last year's April totals, we need at least another 0.6 mm of rain to be recorded at Edinburgh Gogarbank between now and the end of this month, along with at least another 1.6 mm at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.

Those targets will probably end up being achieved as well, so this month is unlikely to end up being quite as dry as this same month during last year.

However, any further rainfall which we get during this month is expected be showery in nature and not amounting to all that month, so this is still going to go down as quite a substantially drier than average month at both of those stations overall, regardless of what ends up happening.

 

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Some very welcome rain here today, 9mm so far and it's still raining. Everything looks greener already.

Raining! Lovely. saves watering the garden.

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