April is on course to break sunshine records across East Anglia though the coronavirus lockdown means households have been locked away behind closed doors unable to fully enjoy the fine weather.
With three days of April to go, the region has already seen 240 hours of sunshine. That amounts to an average of nine hours of sunshine per day, which is 3½ hours per day more than normal for April.
Dan Holley, meteorologist with Norwich-based Weatherquest, said: “It’s provisionally the sunniest April on record, both for East Anglia and the UK as a whole.
“So far, East Anglia has received nearly 240 hours of sunshine, beating the record of 237.8 hours set in 1942. This follows the fifth sunniest March on record.”
MORE: When will garden centres, tips, gyms, offices and shops reopen?The Met Office said new provisional information suggests that April 2020 is now the sunniest on record for the UK.
Some 212.5 hours of sunshine have been recorded so far this month, with the previous record being 211.9 hours in 2015.
The record looks to have been broken despite grey cloudy skies on Tuesday, April 28, with some rain that will be welcomed for parched gardens.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here