Sunniest April in UK since 1929, Met Office says

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32595347

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Last month was the sunniest April in the UK on record, according to the Met Office.

There was an average of 212 hours of sunshine last month, provisional figures showed.

It was the sunniest April in records dating back to 1929, beating the previous record in 1942 by seven hours.

Morpeth, Northumberland, where records are longer-running, saw the sunniest April for 110 years - with 265 hours of sunshine, almost double the average.

Sharp frosts

Last month was also "notably dry", the Met Office said, with less than a fifth of the normal amount of April rainfall in some parts of the UK.

Daytime temperatures were well above average in many areas, particularly southern England.

The highest temperature of the year so far was recorded in Faversham, Kent, which experienced temperatures of 25.6C (78F) on 15 April, the highest recorded April temperature since 2011.

But there were some sharp frosts, with the lowest temperature recorded as -8C (17.6F) at Katesbridge, Northern Ireland, on 27 April.

The Met Office said: "High pressure dominated the weather for much of April, bringing fine, dry, settled conditions, particularly across the southern half of the UK."