Nothing but sun for April

The constant blue sky in a town renowned for its sunshine helped to create a record-breaking month.

The sunshine total of 269.5 hours was well above the seasonal norm of 192.5 hours to become the second sunniest April since 1990 with just over three more hours.

Sunniest day was the 30th with 13.1 hours of sunshine.

Coupled with the ever-present sunshine was an precedented dry spell of 22 days to make it the driest April known in the town since records began in the late 19th century.

The more than three weeks without a drop meant that only 0.3mm of rain was recorded at the town council's weather station in Waterloo Square.

Only April 1984 came close with 1.2mm.

The conditions again led to another month with above average temperatures. The mean maximum of 17C was well above the 11.8C expected.

This was thanks to the warmest day of the month, the 14th, reaching 24C or 75.2F.

The mean minimum was 8.4C against the seasonal average of 5.3C. Only the 5th, when the temperature dropped to freezing, was there a real chill in the air.