[summer '85]

The Easter of 1949 (15th-18th April) was the hottest on record. High pressure over northern Europe drew up very warm air from north Africa and in the brilliant sunshine, temperatures soared to maxima of 20+C across most parts of England and Wales on the Good Friday. Manchester recorded 23.3C, Ross-on-Wye 23.9C and Plymouth 21.7C, their highest maxima for those stations recorded for that month. On the Saturday, temperatures soared even higher in the SE, where maxima of 25+C were recorded. 29.4C, the highest ever temperature for April, was recorded at Camden Square in London, whilst 28.9C was recorded in other parts of London. 24.4C was recorded at Nottingham, 23.9C at Birmingham and 26.7C at Dunstable. A cold front swept though the UK during Saturday night with a few showers and thunderstorms in the NE of England, so temperatures were lower on Easter Sunday but even so they were still quite a bit above the average with Whitstable recording 27.8C. Easter Monday was another warm day in the east.

[Maalie]

That's in interesting post Summer85, thanks for that! Jim.

[Gary L]

What was the following summer like ;)

[summer '85]

Quote

Gary L - 6/4/2007 07:36 What was the following summer like ;)

A long one. June and July were both warm, August less so, September was very warm and this continued into early October.

[summer '85]

CETs for past Easter periods

13th-16th April 1900: 9.4
5th-8th April 1901: 8.0
28th-31st March 1902: 7.8
10th-13th April 1903: 6.7
1st-4th April 1904: 6.8
20th-24th April 1905: 6.3
13th-16th April 1906: 8.2
29th March-1st April 1907: 9.8
17th-20th April 1908: 5.4
9th-12th April 1909: 10.0
25th-28th March 1910: 6.4
14th-17th April 1911: 8.6
5th-8th April 1912: 11.3
21st-24th March 1913: 6.6
10th-13th April 1914: 9.1
2nd-5th April 1915: 7.6
21st-24th April 1916: 7.6
6th-9th April 1917: 3.4
29th March-1st April 1918: 6.9
18th-21st April 1919: 10.0
2nd-5th April 1920: 7.0
25th-28th March 1921: 6.6
14th-17th April 1922: 7.9
18th-21st April 1924: 10.6
10th-13th April 1925: 8.6
2nd-5th April 1926: 13.6
15th-18th April 1927: 9.1
6th-9th April 1928: 10.1
29th March-1st April 1929: 9.6
18th-21st April 1930: 5.8
3rd-6th April 1931: 6.6
25th-28th March 1932: 7.0
14th-17th April 1933: 8.5
30th March-2nd April 1934: 5.1
19th-22nd April 1935: 10.4
10th-14th April 1936: 5.0
26th-29th March 1937: 3.4
15th-18th April 1938: 6.3
7th-10th April 1939: 8.2
22nd-25th March 1940: 9.4
11th-14th April 1941: 8.6
3rd-6th April 1942: 8.4
23rd-26th April 1943: 10.6
7th-10th April 1944: 9.3
30th March-2nd April 1945: 10.0
19th-22nd April 1946: 8.8
4th-7th April 1947: 7.0
26th-29th March 1948: 9.8
15th-18th April 1949: 14.5
7th-10th April 1950: 9.2
23rd-26th March 1951: 5.6
11th-14th April 1952: 10.6
3rd-6th April 1953: 5.8
16th-19th April 1954: 8.2
8th-11th April 1955: 10.7
30th March-2nd April 1956: 6.4
19th-22nd April 1957: 9.6
4th-7th April 1958: 3.8
27th-30th March 1959: 7.9
15th-18th April 1960: 6.6
31st March - 3rd April 1961: 6.0
20th-23rd April 1962: 9.5
12th-15th April 1963: 7.3
27th-30th March 1964: 4.3
16th-19th April 1965: 8.6
8th-11th April 1966: 8.8
24th-27th March 1967: 6.6
12th-15th April 1968: 7.1
4th-7th April 1969: 7.6
27th-30th March 1970: 4.8
9th-12th April 1971: 7.6
31st March-3rd April 1972: 10.3
20th-23rd April 1973: 6.0
12th-15th April 1974: 6.9
28th-31st March 1975: 3.4
16th-19th April 1976: 10.7
8th-11th April 1977: 4.5
24th-27th March 1978: 7.4
13th-16th April 1979: 11.4
4th-7th April 1980: 7.3
17th-20th April 1981: 6.5
9th-12th April 1982: 5.8
1st-4th April 1983: 4.2
20th-23rd April 1984: 12.1
5th-8th April 1985: 8.9
28th-31st March 1986: 5.4
17th-20th April 1987: 11.8
1st-4th April 1988: 7.6
24th-27th March 1989: 7.4
13th-16th April 1990: 6.5
29th March-1st April 1991: 7.3
17th-20th April 1992: 11.1
9th-12th April 1993: 8.6
1st-4th April 1994: 5.7
14th-17th April 1995: 9.4
5th-8th April 1996: 6.4
28th-31st March 1997: 7.8
10th-13th April 1998: 4.1
2nd-5th April 1999: 11.4
21st-24th April 2000: 10.0
13th-16th April 2001: 7.4
29th March-1st April 2002: 9.5
18th-21st April 2003: 10.5
9th-12th April 2004: 8.2
25th-28th March 2005: 9.5
14th-17th April 2006: 9.7

[Mothman]

If I scanned the list correctly, 1984 comes 3rd in that list.

I was in north Wales for easter and it was a scorcher with a few cases a heat stroke. I'm sure temperatures were in the 70s in the area.

Can(of course you can!  :-)  ) Would you give us more detail on 1984?

[summer '85]

Quote

Mothman - 6/4/2007 20:21

If I scanned the list correctly, 1984 comes 3rd in that list.

I was in north Wales for easter and it was a scorcher with a few cases a heat stroke. I'm sure temperatures were in the 70s in the area.

Can(of course you can!  :-)  ) Would you give us more detail on 1984?

The Easter of 1984 was a warm one. Easter Monday was exceptionally sunny, hardly a cloud anywhere.

21.6C was recorded at RAF Valley on Anglesey for that Easter Monday, 20.8C at Trawscoed,

[BUTTERFLY]

1917 (6th-9th April 3.4 deg. C.), 1937 (26th-29th March 3.4 deg. C.), 1958 (4th-7th April 3.8 deg. C.) 1983 (1st-4th April 4.2 deg. C.) & 1998 (4.1 deg. C., this following a very mild February and March) could hardly have been more different from 1949 or 1984. The 1983 figures however show that a chilly Easter can be followed by a hot summer.

It would be interesting using the above figures to compare the chances of a warm Easter during different dates, ie the relevant weeks in March and April. I suppose there would seem a greater chance of a warmer Easter when it is late, e.g. mid-April. Also of course a very warm spell may not coincide with the exact Easter spell of 4 days, but if there is a warm spell directly after Easter, people on hoilday remember it as a warm Easter! In April 1984 in Northern Ireland the temperature reached its maximum on 26th April (?around 24.7 deg. C., I believe, I think the highest ever April temperature in Northern Ireland; it also reached 25.8 deg. C. at Glenties, Co. Donegal, and higher still in Scotland). I remember it as being brilliantly sunny and warm.

[summer '85]

Sadly this Easter isn't going to be anything like this!

From the Times of 16th April 1949

[Chris Alder]

Please don't torture us :(

[Ed wxman]

TS activity too..

[AndrewJM]

Looking at the BBC forecast for Leicester (which I believe is broadly representative of the CET) we are looking at an average temperature of 3.0C for March 22nd-24th 2008. This will be a remarkable event in that it will be the coldest Easter since at least 1900.

[summer '85]

From the Easter Monday edition of the Times

[Ed wxman]

Sorry lol, but doesn't that last photo look civilised!? Not an ASBO in sight :D

[Chris Alder]

Quote

Ed weatherfan - 21/3/2008 08:43 Sorry lol, but doesn't that last photo look civilised!? Not an ASBO in sight :D

Yes its 28C, lets all go to the beach and wear a shirt and tie, waistcoat, suit and bowler hat!That must of been hell!

Strip of I say 666 [hehe]  

[Ed wxman]

Hehe, brr...
Even Maggie T got into the mele, look at the centre of shot.The riots were only a matter of time..

[Dave W]

What was the coldest Easter on record??!

[summer '85]

Quote

Dave W - 21/3/2008 16:07 What was the coldest Easter on record??!

23rd-26th March 1883: a CET of 0.9

 

[BUTTERFLY]

Only a few Easters have had a mean CET of 10 deg. C. or greater:

14.5 1949 15th-18th April
13.6 1926 2nd-5th April
12.1 1984 20th-23rd April
11.8 1987 17th-20th April
11.4 1979 13th-16th April; 1992 2nd-5th April
11.3 1912 5th-8th April
11.1 1992 17th-20th April 1992
10.7 1955 8th-11th April; 1976 16th-19th April
10.6 1924 18th-21st April; 1943 23rd-26th April; 1952 11th-14th April
10.5 2003 18th-21st April
10.4 1935 19th-22nd April
10.3 1972 31st March-3rd April
10.1 1928 6th-9th April
10.0 1909 9th-12th April; 1919 18th-21st April; 1945 30th March-2nd April; 2000 21st-24th April

Thus 21 out of 106 years (about 1 year in 5) were >= 10 deg. C., but only 8 were warmer than 11 deg. C. and 3 greater than 12 deg, C.; 1949 and 1926 were well ahead. Note that all these are entirely in April except 1972 (31st March to 3rd April). The warmest Easter which was entirely in March was 9.8 deg. C. in 1948 (26th-29th March); only 2005 (9.5 25th-28th March) and 1940 (9.4 22nd-25th March) had a mean CET of 9.0 deg. C. or greater, of Easters entirely in March.

Perhaps the most surprising "Warm Easter" was in 1979, which was sandwiched inside a long spell of generally cold or very cold weather lasting many weeks from late December 1978 to mid-May 1979. There was a very cold Easter in 1975 (3.4 deg. C. from 28th to 31st March); indeed this was the joint coldest Easter from 1900 to 2006 along with 1917 (6th-9th April) and 1937 (26th to 29th March).

There have been 19 Easters entirely in March, 10 partly in March and partly in April, and 78 entirely in April in the period 1900-2006. I suppose someone could calculate the average CET of each type.

As there is slightly less than a 20% chance of Easter occurring entirely in March, statistically one can hardly expect a "March Easter" to be particularly warm. As there is a significant increase in day length and sun height from late March to late April, one would expect that most of the warmest Easters would be in mid or late April. The warmest "early April Easter" (i.e. between 1st and 10th April) was in 1926 (2nd-5th), which was the 2nd warmest with 13.6 deg. C. and only 0.9 deg. C. behind 1949 (15th-18th April), though otherwise only 1992 (2nd-5th April 11.4), 1912 (5th-8th April 11.3), and 1928 (6th-9th April 10.1) were 10.0 deg. C. or above.

Even the wamest Easter barely approaches the expected CET value of say early June. Reasons for this could 0be that even with warm sunny weather by day, the temperature can fall sharply by night (which are still 11-12 hours long) especially if the ground is dry (as it can be in spring) and of course there is a particular tendency at this time of year for the weather to change from warm to cold in a day or two; one might have a couple of warm days being counterbalanced by a couple of cold ones, either at the beginning or end of the Easter holiday. Certainly 2008 isn't going to have a CET greater than 10 deg. C and it looks like all 4 days will be cold; it might be the coldest since say 1998 (4.1 deg. C.).

Consolations could be (a) Bright weather (b) Some snow, which may be welcome for those who got hardly any this past 2 winters © Weather does not seem much warmer in parts of the Continent, e.g. France and Spain, at the moment.