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East Berks experiences twice the normal amount of April rain – University of Reading

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East Berks experiences twice the normal amount of April rain

Release Date 01 May 2012

Terra satellite image from 12.30pm BST on 29 April 2012 showing cloud mass that gave 17.6 mm of rain at the University in 24 hours. Image is courtesy of NASA/NOAA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Reading and Maidenhead experienced over twice the normal amount of rainfall for April according to weather scientists at the University of Reading.

With water companies having enforced a hosepipe ban across the south of England from 5 April, researchers at the University of Reading recently calculated that the region needs twice as much rainfall over the summer than normal to get back to expected levels.

In April, the University received 120 mm while 114 mm fell in Maidenhead. These areas would normally expect to experience 48 mm. However, neither of these totals quite reached the record falls set in April 2000 (121 mm in Maidenhead and 133 mm at the University), which in turn was the wettest April locally in the past 60 years.

Dr Roger Brugge, from the University of Reading's renowned Department of Meteorology, said: "Following a remarkably warm and dry March in East Berkshire April 2012 has brought a return to cooler and wetter conditions. All this rain has come from frontal systems brought to us by areas of low pressure that have been persistently close to, or over the British Isles for most of the month. One wet month is not enough to replenish water sources underground though. Much of the early rain will have created runoff into rivers due to the hard ground surface and the deficit over the past year alone has been less than the surplus this month.

"April 2012 has been colder overall than March 2012 by about 0.8 degC. However, such a reversal in temperature between these two months is not as unusual as you might think. At the University in 1989 March was remarkably 1.2 degC warmer than April.

"With the rain has come cloud and a lack of any hot days. The highest temperature in April before the 30th was just 15.1C recorded on the 8th. Maidenhead recorded 16.3C on the 22nd. However, it turned slightly warmer on the 30th with 19.7C being recorded in Maidenhead and 18.9C at the University.

"However, both these temperatures were well below the March highs this year of 21.4C at the University and 22.7C in Maidenhead."

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact press officers James Barr on 0118 378 7115 or j.w.barr@reading.ac.uk

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Notes for editors:

Summary of facts - Reading

April 2012 was about two and a half times as wet as normal with rainfall on 24 days.

April 2012 was the dullest April since 2006.

The highest temperature in April 2012 was only 18.9C, about 3 degC less than the highest in March.

April 2012 was colder than March 2012 by about 0.6 degC; in 1989 the corresponding drop was about 1.2 degC.

This is the first drop in mean temperature between March and April since 1989.

Summary of facts - Maidenhead

April 2012 was about two and a half times as wet as normal.

The highest temperature in April 2012 was only 19.7C, about 3 degC than the highest in March.

April 2012 was colder than March 2012 by about 0.6 degC - similar to the corresponding drop in 1989.

This is the first drop in mean temperature between March and April since 1990.

Observations at the University were made by Mike Stroud and his team of observers, while those at Maidenhead were made by Roger Brugge.

 

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