An historical perspective of the climate statistics for Coventry during April 2020

Temperature

Mean monthly April temperatures did not vary much in the 20th century in Coventry, averaging 8.2C, ranging from 7.6C in the 1970s, up to 8.9C in the 1940s and 1990s.

There are signs of some considerable warming however during April in the 21st century in our region, with mean monthly temperatures averaging 9.5C (2001-2020), an increase of 1.3C, with only 3 April months recording below average temperatures (1971-2000) since 1989.

So, it is little surprise to find that we enjoyed another mild April in 2020, with a mean monthly temperature of 10.9C, 2.0C higher than 30-year Bablake averages 1981-2010.

This was our warmest April since 2011 (12.4C), which was the warmest April in Coventry records dating back to 1892.

Only three April months have been warmer than 2020 in Coventry in the past 128 years:
12.4C 2011
11.7C 2007
11.2C 1893
10.9C 1989 2020
10.6C 1943
In the first 4 months of 2020, temperatures have averaged 7.7C in Coventry, the warmest first third of any year in the city since 2007 (8.0C). Only two such four month periods have been warmer than this year since 1892, namely 1990 and 2007.

Rainfall

There was quite a lot of variation in monthly rainfall totals in Coventry in the 20th century, ranging from 33.6mm in the 1950s, up to 60.2mm by the 1990s. There has been an 8% decrease however, in April average monthly rainfall since the Millennium.

This is a trend much in evidence with April 2019 (28.2mm) and April 2020 (28.8mm) recording rainfall totals well below average, just 55% in 2020.
Looking back through the archives, we find that only 8 April months have been drier than this year since 1990, six of these since the Millennium (1995, 1997, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.

The first four weeks of April this year were notably dry, with 66% of the monthly rainfall total recorded in the last four weeks of the month.

Sunshine

It would appear that the average April sunshine total in Coventry is now 14% higher than one hundred years ago, and 20% higher since the Millennium (163.8hr) than in the 20th century (137.0hr). It is far too easy to explain this increase in April sunshine by putting it down to the Clean Air Acts of the 1950s and 1970s, especially as there was a notable decrease in April sunshine between 1961 and 1980, by as much as 20%.

As for this year, it was so close to a record breaker!

With sunshine records dating back to 1895, only April 2007 (243.0hr) has recorded more sunshine in Coventry than this year (242.0hr), 159% of 30-year averages 1981-2020 at Bablake.

Our sunniest April months:
243.0hr 2007
242.0hr 2020
231.4hr 1984
228.2hr 1912
225.9hr 1914

In the first four months of 2020, we have recorded 547.4hr of sunshine at Bablake; only 2007 has recorded more sunshine than this (573.9hr) in the first third of the year since 1895.

On Friday, May 1, 2020 at 3:34:01 PM UTC+1, Steve Jackson wrote:
An historical perspective of the climate statistics for Coventry during April 2020

Temperature

Mean monthly April temperatures did not vary much in the 20th century in Coventry, averaging 8.2C, ranging from 7.6C in the 1970s, up to 8.9C in the 1940s and 1990s.

There are signs of some considerable warming however during April in the 21st century in our region, with mean monthly temperatures averaging 9.5C (2001-2020), an increase of 1.3C, with only 3 April months recording below average temperatures (1971-2000) since 1989.

So, it is little surprise to find that we enjoyed another mild April in 2020, with a mean monthly temperature of 10.9C, 2.0C higher than 30-year Bablake averages 1981-2010.

This was our warmest April since 2011 (12.4C), which was the warmest April in Coventry records dating back to 1892.

Only three April months have been warmer than 2020 in Coventry in the past 128 years:
12.4C 2011
11.7C 2007
11.2C 1893
10.9C 1989 2020
10.6C 1943
In the first 4 months of 2020, temperatures have averaged 7.7C in Coventry, the warmest first third of any year in the city since 2007 (8.0C). Only two such four month periods have been warmer than this year since 1892, namely 1990 and 2007.

Rainfall

There was quite a lot of variation in monthly rainfall totals in Coventry in the 20th century, ranging from 33.6mm in the 1950s, up to 60.2mm by the 1990s. There has been an 8% decrease however, in April average monthly rainfall since the Millennium.

This is a trend much in evidence with April 2019 (28.2mm) and April 2020 (28.8mm) recording rainfall totals well below average, just 55% in 2020.
Looking back through the archives, we find that only 8 April months have been drier than this year since 1990, six of these since the Millennium (1995, 1997, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.

The first four weeks of April this year were notably dry, with 66% of the monthly rainfall total recorded in the last four weeks of the month.

Sunshine

It would appear that the average April sunshine total in Coventry is now 14% higher than one hundred years ago, and 20% higher since the Millennium (163.8hr) than in the 20th century (137.0hr). It is far too easy to explain this increase in April sunshine by putting it down to the Clean Air Acts of the 1950s and 1970s, especially as there was a notable decrease in April sunshine between 1961 and 1980, by as much as 20%.

As for this year, it was so close to a record breaker!

With sunshine records dating back to 1895, only April 2007 (243.0hr) has recorded more sunshine in Coventry than this year (242.0hr), 159% of 30-year averages 1981-2020 at Bablake.

Our sunniest April months:
243.0hr 2007
242.0hr 2020
231.4hr 1984
228.2hr 1912
225.9hr 1914

In the first four months of 2020, we have recorded 547.4hr of sunshine at Bablake; only 2007 has recorded more sunshine than this (573.9hr) in the first third of the year since 1895.

'The first four weeks of April this year were notably dry, with 66% of the monthly rainfall total recorded in the last four weeks of the month.'

A lot of weeks in your April Steve.

;-()

Len