This spring is putting on a spectacular show. The early flowers were held back by a chilly January, but since then the very warm February and a sunny March have triggered a tremendous outburst of spring flowers, tree blossom and new leaves. And the National Trust also reports the first bluebells opening in the West Country, and the signs are that this will be a good season for bluebells.
Perhaps the outstanding feature of this spring so far is the lack of rain. It was the driest March in England for 50 years with only 19.7mm (0.78in) of rainfall. Across England and Wales it was the twentieth driest March since rainfall records began in 1766 — the driest year was March 1781, with only 5.6mm (0.22in). But eastern England hardly had a drop of rain all month, and for Lincolnshire it may have been its driest March on record with only 4.5mm (0.18in) rainfall.
The sun also shone especially brightly last month, giving well above average hours of sunshine across the UK. Temperatures, though, were only just a touch above average.
April is warming up well, and the first 20C (68F) of the year was reached on Saturday at Writtle, Essex. And it looks as though temperatures will climb higher still this week, especially in southern England. Southwesterly winds from the sub-tropical parts of the Atlantic are bathing the country in warm air, to be followed by winds sweeping up from North Africa and the Mediterranean. But it might be difficult to break the record April temperature of 29.4C (84.9F), recorded at Camden Square, London, on April 16, 1949.
After the dry March farmers and gardeners were probably glad to have seen some April showers. However, most of the rain this month has fallen on western and northern parts of the country — the South East and East Anglia still remain very dry. And with another high-pressure system due to drift over the UK later in the week, there will be more dry weather almost everywhere. Springtime is usually our driest season, but at this rate parts of the country may be heading for a drought.