Easter

Every year the date of Easter changes - sometimes it is in March, sometimes April - which means the weather over the period can be different too. One year it can be chilly, the next it can be warm. With such different weather, it is important to stay up to date with the weather forecast.

Easter weather in the UK

Easter can fall in a period of 35 days because it is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox (which this year occurred on 20 March).

If Easter is early, there's a chance that some parts of the country will get snow; in fact, it is more likely to snow at Easter than it is at Christmas. The later Easter is, the better the weather is likely to be. However, the four-day period of Easter is rarely fine.

Warmest Easter

Easter Sunday, 22 April 1984 - temperatures climbed above 20 °C, with some stations breaking all-time records.

Sunniest Easter

Easter 4-6 April 1969 - many parts of the UK saw temperatures climbing above the average, with temperatures well above 18 °C in the south, and above 15 °C in the north, by Easter Sunday. Several stations broke all-time sunshine records for the weekend.

Cold and dull Easter

Easter 27-29 March 1964 - temperatures barely reached 6-7 °C in southern and central parts of the country, and were accompanied by a raw, often strong, easterly wind. At Kew, it was the dullest Easter weekend on record and the coldest Easter Day for 81 years.

Snowy Easter

Easter 1-3 April 1983 - this was the snowiest Easter with Scotland, the Midlands and Kent getting up to 10 cm of snow. Over the past 45+ years, snow has fallen quite regularly, even in lowland areas. For example, 1958, 1965, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1994 and 1998 were all years when snow fell.