April 2008
Thurlestone Rock
Thurlestone Rock taken at the end of a warm and hazy late April day in south Devon.
Summary for  April 2008
Mean Max: 14.2ºC (+1.5ºC)
Mean Min: 4.3ºC (-0.1ºC)
Mean: 9.2ºC (+0.7ºC)
     
High Max: 20.7ºC 3rd
Low Max: 8.3ºC 19th
High Min: 9.3ºC 24th
Low Min: -2.9ºC 7th
Mean Grass Min: 1.9ºC  
Grass Min: -4.8ºC 9th
     
Rain Total (gauge): 47.4 mm (106%)
Rain Total (tipping bucket): 43.2 mm (96%)
Rain Days >0.2 mm: 16 Days  
Rain Days >1.0 mm: 8 Days  
Max 24 hrs: 12.8 mm 12th
Days without any rain: 10  
     
Air Frost: 5 Days  
Ground Frost: 11 Days  
Snow Falling: 1 Days  
Snow (50%) @ 9am: 0 Days  
Thunder Heard: 4 Days  
Hail <5 mm: 4 Days  
Hail >5 mm: 0 Days  
Fog @ 9am: 1 Days  
     
Total Monthly Sunshine: 193h:51m  
Total Monthly Sunshine: 193.8 Hours  
Most Sunshine in a Day: 12h:57m 16th
Average Daily Sunshine: 06h:27m  
Sunless Days: 2 Days  
Cloudless Days: 2 Days  
Total Possible Sunshine: 416h:00m  
Percentage of Total Sun: 47%  
     
Mean Soil Temp @ 30 cm: 9.4ºC  
Min Soil Temp @ 30 cm: 7.5ºC 7th
Max Soil Temp @ 30 cm: 12.1ºC 27th
Mean Soil Temp @ 100 cm: 8.9ºC  
Min Soil Temp @ 100 cm: 8.1ºC 12th
Max Soil Temp @ 100 cm: 10.5ºC 29th
     
Mean 10 Min Wind >39 mph: 0.0 Days  
N: 3.24 Days  
NE: 4.02 Days  
E: 1.92 Days  
SE: 2.42 Days  
S: 4.16 Days  
SW: 2.48 Days  
W: 5.59 Days  
NW: 4.69 Days  
Calm: 4.44 Days  
Mean Wind: 5 mph  
Max Gust: 36 mph 17th
     
Mean Cloud Cover: 53%  
Mean RH @ 9am: 83%  
Rain Duration >0.1mm/hour: 31.3 Hours  
Frost Duration: 29.3 Hours  
Max Frost Duration in a Day: 9.0 Hours 8th
     
Mean Sea Temperature: 10.3ºC  
Normal for Month:    
Max Sea Temperature: 11.6ºC 26th
Min Sea Temperature: 9.5ºC 6th
     
Mean Pressure @ 9am: 1011.8 hPa (-4.4 hPa)
Mean Pressure: 1010.6 hPa (-5.6 hPa)
Max Pressure: 1031.8 hPa 3rd
Min Pressure: 985.7 hPa 30th
     
Max Dewpoint: 12.7ºC 3rd
Min Dewpoint: -5.9ºC 7th
Mean Dewpoint: 3.8ºC  
     
Max Humidity: 85% 1st
Min Humidity: 38% 17th
Mean Humidity: 71% (-7)

 
April was a mixed month, it started very warm but during the second week it turned much colder and stayed that way for two weeks. The days were not that cold due to lots of sunshine but the nights were chilly with some frosts. There was a grass frost every night from the 6th to the 16th. During the third week it warmed up once again but then turned colder in the closing days of the month.
Rainfall was around average, though most of the rain fell in the last week of the month.
Snow was seen falling briefly once early on the 6th, but did not settle. This was the first time snow had been seen falling at this location in over two years.
This was a very sunny month, especially the first 3 weeks which were exceptionally clear.
Soil temperatures remained below normal until the third week.
Due to the unsettled nature of this month it was also quite windy at times, calmer conditions prevailed during the third week.
Five air frosts of which none were severe and there were 11 ground frosts.
Sea temperatures started above normal at the beginning of the month but ended up below normal at the end of the month.
Mean pressure was was 5.6 hPa below normal and indicative of the unsettled, cyclonic nature of this month.
Dewpoints were typically variable for this time of year with the sea being at its coldest.
With a relative humidity of 74%, this was 7 percentage points below normal.
 

Weather Data for Otter Valley, Devon. April 2008

  
  Temp (oC) Hum (RH%) Dewpoint (oC) Wind (mph) Rain Pressure (hPa) Grass Sun  
  Min Max Ave Min Max Ave Min Max Ave Max Ave Run mm Min Max Ave Min Hours Observations
1 7.9 15.5 11.7 58 85 72 4.3 8.0 6.2 32 7.7 186 0.8 1016 1025 1021 5.9 9.0 Sunny intervals all day
2 8.8 17.8 13.3 65 85 75 5.3 11.7 8.5 24 7.9 189 0.4 1025 1029 1027 5.1 7.2 Sunny intervals all day
3 6.8 20.7 13.8 58 85 72 3.8 12.7 8.3 13 2.0 48 0.0 1029 1032 1030 3.7 11.0 Sunny intervals all day
4 5.3 15.0 10.2 72 85 79 2.6 9.8 6.2 16 3.4 81 0.0 1024 1031 1028 2.3 2.2 Fog am, sunny intervals pm
5 5.3 12.8 9.1 49 85 67 0.0 5.8 2.9 21 6.1 147 0.2 1014 1024 1019 1.4 7.4 Sunny intervals all day
6 1.2 8.9 5.1 45 84 65 -2.7 0.5 -1.1 23 4.4 106 1.0 1006 1015 1010 -0.4 6.7 Sunny intervals all day
7 -2.9 10.9 4.0 46 85 66 -5.9 0.4 -2.8 16 2.4 57 0.0 1004 1006 1005 -3.5 7.7 Sunny intervals all day
8 -2.9 12.0 4.6 47 85 66 -5.9 2.1 -1.9 14 1.7 41 0.4 1003 1005 1004 -3.5 9.1 Sunny intervals all day
9 -2.4 13.6 5.6 52 85 69 -5.4 4.0 -0.7 10 1.5 36 0.0 999 1004 1001 -4.8 7.4 Sunny intervals all day
10 -0.4 11.5 5.6 62 85 74 -3.6 5.2 0.8 18 2.4 57 5.2 997 1001 999 -3.6 3.5 Sunny am, showers pm
11 1.6 12.3 7.0 53 85 69 -0.9 4.4 1.8 31 5.8 138 0.4 995 1000 998 -0.1 7.4 Showers am, then sunny int
12 4.1 13.0 8.6 60 84 72 0.7 5.8 3.3 20 4.8 114 1.4 999 1007 1003 -1.1 7.0 Sunshine & showers
13 2.1 14.4 8.3 57 85 71 -1.0 6.5 2.8 21 3.3 78 1.0 1007 1012 1010 -1.9 8.1 Sunshine & showers
14 1.1 14.2 7.7 48 85 67 -2.0 5.2 1.6 25 4.9 119 0.2 1013 1022 1017 -1.6 11.4 Hail showers am, sunny pm
15 -0.8 14.1 6.7 51 85 68 -3.7 3.4 -0.2 15 2.6 63 0.2 1022 1025 1023 -4.3 10.8 Long sunny spells
16 1.3 13.3 7.3 47 85 66 -2.0 3.8 0.9 22 5.2 124 0.0 1013 1023 1018 -2.3 13.0 Sunny all day
17 4.4 13.2 8.8 38 82 60 -2.5 2.3 -0.1 36 8.3 200 0.0 1001 1013 1007 1.3 12.4 Sunny all day, hazy
18 3.9 9.2 6.6 53 81 67 -2.5 4.7 1.1 28 9.8 235 0.0 993 1001 997 2.2 0.0 Cloudy all day
19 6.1 8.3 7.2 75 85 80 2.9 5.4 4.2 25 8.2 196 6.8 993 999 996 5.4 0.0 Rain all day
20 7.7 15.8 11.8 70 85 78 4.8 10.0 7.4 19 5.9 141 2.4 999 1002 1001 6.6 2.0 Sunny ints & showers pm
21 8.3 13.3 10.8 79 85 82 5.4 9.2 7.3 24 6.4 155 4.0 1002 1006 1004 7.8 2.1 Rain am, sunny intervals pm
22 6.3 18.4 12.4 61 85 73 2.6 10.6 6.6 14 2.9 70 0.0 1006 1011 1009 3.7 9.3 Misty early am, then sunny
23 8.6 18.8 13.7 51 85 68 5.3 10.1 7.7 19 4.6 111 2.6 1012 1019 1015 6.7 8.4 Misty am, then sunny ints
24 9.3 17.8 13.6 52 85 69 5.3 7.6 6.5 26 7.2 172 0.4 1016 1024 1020 5.4 7.2 Showers am, sunny ints pm
25 6.2 15.2 10.7 65 85 75 2.8 10.0 6.4 16 3.3 78 0.0 1024 1028 1026 4.4 1.3 Sunny ints am, cloudy pm
26 9.3 17.9 13.6 60 85 73 6.3 9.7 8.0 18 5.1 122 0.0 1020 1027 1023 7.5 6.8 Sunny ints all day, hazy
27 9.3 18.9 14.1 64 85 75 4.6 11.9 8.3 15 2.6 62 0.2 1010 1020 1015 7.1 4.3 Sunny am, showers pm
28 5.7 13.8 9.8 61 85 73 3.0 7.6 5.3 16 3.4 81 2.4 1002 1010 1006 2.7 4.7 Sun & showers all day
29 5.1 11.6 8.4 69 85 77 1.9 7.2 4.6 22 4.0 96 12.8 987 1003 995 2.6 3.6 Rain late am, fine by evening
30 3.8 12.3 8.1 76 85 81 0.8 6.4 3.6 30 4.3 103 0.4 986 998 992 2.5 3.1 Sunshine & showers 
4.3 14.2 9.2 58 85 71 0.8 6.7 3.8 21 4.7 3404 43.2 1007 1014 1011 1.9 193.8  
Graphs for April 2008
Figure 1. Temperature and Rainfall for April 2008.
Figure 2. Sunshine, air pressure and mean wind speed for April 2008.
Figure 3. Wind direction for April 2008.
Figure 4. Sea Surface Temperature (SST) for Lyme Bay for April 2008.
Figure 5. Wind and mean pressure for April 2008.