Like March, April began very wet and quite cold. The first two days were sunless. A vigorous depression moved into the South-West on the 2nd and travelled up the country. A severe thunderstorm broke at 3am on Friday 3rd April and you could have been mistaken for thinking that a bomb had been dropped. A huge bang occurred and the night sky turned white. Two houses were damaged by a thunderbolt.
Sunshine, but also showers, mostly sharp and heavy, dominated proceedings for the next two days. The 6th was the best day so far. It was sunny and fairly mild in the morning but clouded over that afternoon. Lightning occurred at 9.30pm that evening but rain held off.
Low, unstable, pressure came from the North-East and heavy rain, along with, thunder and hail, on the 7th caused damage. Good Friday wasn't a good Friday weatherwise. It was very miserable with cold Northerly-winds, strong winds at times, leaden skies and constant heavy rain. Easter Saturday and Sunday were an improvement but more dramatic weather was not far away as a deep depression moved from the artic bringing cold artic air. Snow fell from 3pm onwards and didn't stop until just after midnight. Six inches were recorded, making it the worst April snowfall since 1981. This didn't last long though, as it melted over the next two days.
The 16th was a fine day and the sunniest recorded since last August. The weather for the first time in the month was quiet until the 22nd when a thunderstorm broke. The highest temperature of the month was recorded that day with 64F. That evening though a fierce thunderstorm broke, and another one later. The weather was generally fine and sunny from the 25th to the 29th, but two thunderstorms occurred on the evenings of the 27th and 28th. Torrential showers occurred during the second thunderstorm. The 29th was fine and sunny but the 30th was cold and cloudy but dry under North-West winds.
April 1998 was the second wettest April of the 20th Century. Rainfall was almost twice the average and only 1920 was wetter. Temperatures were around average, helped by the fact that they were above average from the 22nd onwards, apart from the 30th. There was a cold spell between the 9th and the 15th when the temperature didn't reach 50F once.
It was the coldest April for nine years, since 1989 and actually it was colder than either February or March, the first time this has happened since 1903. Sunshine totals were around average, helped by some sunny days in the final week. April 1998 was one of the most thundery April's on record.
Kevin Phillips - 1.45pm - Monday 4th May 1998.
