Bracken Lodges in Perthshire
Changeable until mid-month then settled and mainly dry, with several warm days. The mean temperature for the month was 3.4 °C above the 1971–2000 average and it was the warmest April in the series from 1910, being 0.2 °C warmer than April 2007 (now ranked second). The daily maximum temperatures in particular were well above average, by as much as 5 °C in north-east Scotland. Rainfall was close to or somewhat above normal over much of western Scotland, but elsewhere it was dry, especially towards the east coast where less than 40% of normal rainfall was recorded. Sunshine amounts were well above normal, typically around 150%, making it one of the sunniest Aprils in the series from 1929.
- Wet and windy in the west on 1st, but mainly dry and warm in the east. Early rain cleared to leave a bright day with a few showers on 2nd. Bright with showers on 3rd. The 4th started dry, but rain spread eastwards during the morning, heavy in the west, with drier weather following. Mainly cloudy on 5th with rain at times in the south and west, but drier and brighter in the east. Heavy rain over the western Highlands on 6th gave 24-hour totals of over 40 mm in places; 158 mm was recorded at Achnagart (Highland) in the 48 hours to 0900 GMT on 7th. The east was dry, sunny and warm on 6th with 21.1 °C at Fyvie Castle (Aberdeenshire). Some light rain in the far north-west and Northern Isles on 7th and 8th, but dry with sunny spells in the east and south-east. Dry with long clear or sunny spells on 9th, although low cloud and fog affected the extreme east coast and Shetland. Dry and sunny for most on 10th, with a maximum temperature of 23.3 °C at Fyvie Castle.
- Cooler on 11th as early rain cleared to sunny spells and scattered showers, with maximum temperatures around 14 °C. Bright on 12th with sunny spells and occasional showers. The 13th, 14th and 15th saw patchy, mainly light rain or drizzle at times but also some drier, brighter interludes.
Mainly dry and rather cloudy on 16th. Mainly dry on 17th and 18th with sunny spells in most places, but some haar in the east, and later on 18th occasional light showers developed. The 19th saw scattered showers in the north while the south was mostly sunny with patchy haar along North Sea coasts. The 20th, 21st and 22nd were mainly dry and warm with sunny intervals, but haar lingered in the east and in the Northern Isles. Maximum temperatures on 22nd ranged from 23.5 °C at Prestwick (Ayrshire) to 9.9 °C at Leuchars (Fife), while an early frost was recorded at Braemar (Aberdeenshire). Showery rain developed in the south-west and west during the evening, which spread eastwards through 23rd with bright then clear spells following. Early frost in Aberdeenshire and Dumfries-shire on 24th with bright spells, although thickening cloud brought a little rain south-eastwards. The rain cleared during the morning of 25th with bright spells following from the north-west. Most places were dry on 26th with plenty of sunshine, although some light showers developed over the Cairngorms. Most places were dry on 27th with long sunny spells, but patchy light rain affected the north-west later. The 28th was cloudier in the north-west with patchy rain, but elsewhere it was sunny. Dry and sunny and clear overnight on 29th and 30th, with the temperature at Lusa (Skye) reaching 22 °C each day, while onshore winds kept eastern coasts much cooler.
