April 2000
Introduction
See also: Wintry weather / A very wet start
Record rainfall
A consistently wet April has led to records being
broken throughout the UK.
According to the England and Wales precipitation series (an index
which begins in 1766) the total was 143 mm (using best
available data/estimates on 2 May 2000) making it the wettest April
since records began. Previous highest April totals were in 1782
(139 mm), 1818 (136 mm) and 1998 (133 mm). The chart below shows
the series April 1766-2000.
April rain records have been broken at the following Met Office sites:
| Total (mm) | Prev wettest April (mm) | Records began | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | 110.0 | 84.0 (1947) | 1939 |
| Lossiemouth (Morayshire) | 113.3 | 71.5 (1977) | 1951 |
| London | 113.8 | 100.6 (1993) | 1940 |
| Cranwell (Lincs) | 113.8 | 94.4 (1998) | 1921 |
| Birmingham (Edgbaston) | 143.4 | 124.9 (1961) | 1897 |
| Northolt (Middlesex) | 118.6 | 98.7 (1983) | 1948 |
| Nottingham (Watnall) | 119.4 | 114.9 (1989) | 1941 |
| Waddington (Lincs) | 124.2 | 90.7 (1983) | 1946 |
| Kinloss (Morayshire) | 128.7 | 96.0 (1998) | 1951 |
| Aberdeen | 130.0 | 116.0 (1998) | 1951 |
| Cottesmore (Rutland) | 134.9 | 118.1 (1998) | 1961 |
| Leeming (N Yorks) | 137.4 | 107.1 (1983) | 1945 |
| High Wycombe (Bucks) | 140.1 | 121.3 (1998) | 1996 |
| Dishforth (N Yorks) | 142.5 | 106.4 (1993) | 1992 |
| Brize Norton (Oxon) | 145.6 | 108.0 (1998) | 1968 |
| Odiham (Hants) | 158.1 | 102.2 (1963) | 1963 |
| Bournemouth | 150.6 | 101.7 (1966) | 1951 |
| Cardiff | 151.0 | 144.0 (1920) | 1904 |
| Bristol | 153.1 | 113.5 (1961) | 1937 |
| Bracknell (Berks) | 160.8 | 106.0 (1983) | 1963 |
| Southampton | 173.4 | 127.3 (1856) | 1856 |
The information is based upon provisional, unquality-controlled data, from a small sample of the full network of rain gauges.
