April showers

Note for Sunday 25th

Another very mild day for April with temperatures around 7°C higher than average.

From 02 Weather 2010

April has been a dry month so far without any of the usual showery weather we expect this month. Today it changed and we had a couple of heavy showers but each lasted for just a few minutes.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Saturday 24th

Mild
Today was the warmest since I began keeping temperature records last October. It was almost like summer! We had rather hazy sunshine for most of the day rather than clear blue skies.

On the plot things are starting to green up and it’s starting to loose that bleak look of winter. The fresh green of spring and early summer is here.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Friday 23rd

More cloud
A much cloudier day than of late with the cloud not clearing until late afternoon. It was milder overnight and remained mild throughout the day. The forecast is for Saturday to be the warmest day of the year.

Dandelions are in full bloom on the grass paths around the plot so the mower will be out to cut them back and prevent them setting seed.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Thursday 22nd

Frosty start
Our spell of cold nights continued. Overnight the temperature fell to just 0.7°C our coldest night since the 11th March. I just managed to capture the ice on the bird bath before the morning sun quickly melted it.

From 02 Weather 2010

Following the cold start it was another day with plenty of spring sunshine.

Note for Wednesday 21st

Cold overnight
Today was another day with lots of spring sunshine. Despite the sunshine it felt cool in the shade. Over the last few nights the temperature has been getting lower each night and below average for late April.

We will just have to hope that no damage is done to the fruit blossom that is out at the moment. Our Greengage (Mannings) is just coming into flower.

From 02 Weather 2010

I think that the cooler weather might be prolonging the flowering period of our daffodils and cowslips which are in full bloom.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Tuesday 20th
Sunny and cool
Some lovely spring sunshine today but with a rather cool breeze from the north.

It was very pleasant in the greenhouse so more seeds were sown and some Brussels Sprout seedlings pricked out to grow on in modules before planting out in the allotment in May.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Monday 19th

Cold and wet
There was some welcome rain for the garden and plot today. It didn’t need to be quite so cold though with a high of only 8.4°C.
I’ve noticed that the forecast is for some frosty nights later in the week. I hope our cherry blossom escapes the cold nights unscathed. It was just coming into flower last Saturday.

From 02 Weather 2010

 

Turned cloudy

Note for Sunday 18th
The day started off with sunshine as though we were to get a repeat of Saturday. Unfortunately it clouded over by lunchtime. It remained mild though.

From 02 Weather 2010

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Saturday 17th

Warm and sunny
Sunshine all day today. There was little breeze and it felt very mild.

Note for Friday 16th

What a difference
It started off cloudy first thing but by mid morning the cloud started to break up to leave us with a beautifully warm and sunny day. What a contrast from yesterday.
In the afternoon we had a clear blue sky with no signs of vapour trails from high flying aircraft with the closure of UK air space due to volcanic ash.

Our last rainfall was on the 7th April so we are entering the longest spell of dry weather since I set up my weather station last October.

Note for Thursday 15th

Cloudy and cool again
It was cloudy all day today with no hint of sunshine. The temperature didn’t even manage double figures. The weather forecast said it’s going to get colder next week! I might delay planting my carrots for another week.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Wednesday 14th

Cloudy and cool
It was cloudy for most of the day today. The sun did manage to break through the cloud eventually but not until late afternoon.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Tuesday 13th

Touch of frost
It was cold overnight with a touch of frost as the overnight temperature fell to 2.8°C. The day started sunny but soon clouded over. The cloud remained for the rest of the day. We had a cool wind too. Last weeks warmth has spoilt us.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Monday 12th

The morning was cloudy and cool but around lunchtime the cloud broke up and the sun came out to give a nice afternoon.
Our gunnera has started to produce leaves. It’s one of those plants I thought might not have survived the cold winter without protection.

From 02 Weather 2010

Cooler

Note for Sunday 11th

It obviously couldn’t last and today there was much more cloud and a cool easterly breeze but still a pleasant April day.

From 02 Weather 2010

Our greenhouse grapevine has started to shoot but the 2 vines outside on the plot have still to burst into growth. As they both have buds which are looking green I’m assuming the young plants have survived the cold winter on the plot.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Saturday 10th

Warmer still
It was just like summer today with almost unbroken sunshine and a high of 18.9°C the warmest day since last October.

Note for Friday 9th
Warmest this year
Today was the warmest day of the year with the afternoon temperature reaching 16.9°C. It wasn’t as sunny as yesterday with varying amounts of cloud. It was a still day making it excellent for sowing parsnip seeds which can all too easily be blown away on the slightest breeze.

On each visit to the plot we inspect our broccoli and cauliflowers for signs of our first pickings of the year. Our broccoli seems reluctant to produce spears at the moment.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Thursday 8th

Sunny
It was sunny all day today. It felt pleasant in the sunshine if just a bit breezy at times in the afternoon.

Note for Wednesday 7th

Mild
Light overnight rain continued into the morning. The rest of the day brightened up with short sunny spells but occasional spells of light drizzle. The day had a mild feel about it.

On the plot our new pear tree “Red Williams” has flower buds.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Tuesday 6th
Mild

It was a mild and cloudy day with only a few brief sunny intervals.

Note for Monday 5th

Breezy again
A damp morning with some drizzle but no measurable rainfall to note. The afternoon was brighter with brief sunny spells. A rather breezy afternoon took the edge of the temperature.
Our pansies have survived the winter even managing to give us some flowers during the worst of the winter weather. Now they are in full bloom. It is video and not photographs as I wanted to test out my video camera using a small tripod. There are some tell tale signs if you look closely.

 

March weather summary added

March started like the previous cold winter months of January and February. The month started with some light snowfalls and some extremely frosty nights. Click here for more

Breezy

Note for Sunday 4th

There were some spells of sunshine but accompanied by a rather cool breeze. It was nice and warm in the greenhouse for sowing seeds. On most days now it’s reasonably warm in the greenhouse and this has meant that we’ve had excellent germination of our broad beans whilst we were away on holiday.

From 02 Weather 2010

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Saturday 3rd
Sunny spells
Our first day back at home after spending last week on holiday in the New Forest. The weather on holiday was mixed. It started out quite pleasant, mild with some sunny spells. It became very windy and turned much colder with outbreaks of rain. On Wednesday 31st we visited Keyhaven on the coast which has views across to The Needles and the Isle of Wight. It was just 6°C by mid-afternoon.

From 02 Weather 2010

The weather improved slightly towards the end of our stay.

At home yesterday it was not too bad a day with some sunny spells and dry. Seed sowing can start in earnest now.

From 02 Weather 2010