We have seen a lot of sunshine throughout April, which has hopefully make these unusual times a little brighter. A reminder that if you are spending more time outside in public space, always follow government guidance to keep yourself, your family and others safe.
Electricity North West is enforcing extra measures throughout the Coronavirus pandemic and all information can be found by visiting www.enwl.co.uk/coronavirus.
April’s weather
North West England experienced a much drier and sunnier April than usual. High pressure was a frequent visitor to the UK, keeping April showers away for much of the time. However, it was breezy at times with brisk easterly winds for several days just after mid-month.
A combination of the coronavirus lockdown and the sunny but breezy weather had a notable impact on electricity generation. On April 28th, Great Britain broke its record for the longest period of electricity generation without coal since the Industrial Revolution, according to the National Grid. The sunny but breezy conditions elevated the renewable power generated from solar farms and wind turbines. Meanwhile, the lockdown kept electricity demand much lower than usual, helping to provide 18 days, 6 hours and 10 minutes of coal-free operation.
North West England saw a total of around 245 hours of sunshine in April, about 145 percent of the average. The total April rainfall across northwest England was approximately 25mm, which is only 38% of the climatological average.
The sunny conditions also provided a few warm periods of weather. The highest temperatures occurred on Friday 10th, with much of North West England experiencing highs of over 20C. Myerscough, Lancashire, was one of the warmest spots with 22.3C.
However, under clear skies, a few of the nights were decidedly cold. Early morning on Tuesday 14th, temperatures fell below freezing widely and dropped to a low of -4.2C at Shap, Cumbria.
May’s weather
Looking forward, the question is, can we expect more sunny and dry weather to come in May?
To answer this, it can be helpful to have a look back at weather records from previous Mays that followed such dry Aprils. In the 14 driest Aprils since 1950, the rainfall statistics show us that in all of these years May was wetter with rainfall either nearer or above the average.
So, it would appear we can expect more rainfall in May. However, current indications are for a mixed month of weather. Cool and wet spells giving way to some drier, warmer and sunnier weather at times – quite typical for May.
