Temperatures soar and sun shines in record-breaking April

April proved to be a remarkable month across Scotland, with record-breaking temperatures, exceptionally dry conditions, and an abundance of sunshine.

The most notable extremes were recorded in the Highlands and Aberdeenshire, where longstanding weather records were toppled in recent weeks.

Sunshine

The month began and ended on a bright note, giving sunshine totals a significant boost across the country.

While sunshine levels were close to average in Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Fife, the west of Scotland saw around 50% more sunshine than usual. The northwest Highlands led the charge, with areas like Poolewe, Aultbea, and Torridon seeing almost double their usual April sunshine.

Stornoway had a particularly impressive showing, notching up its sunniest April on record—an outstanding achievement, given that records at the station go back 95 years.

Temperature

There was no return to wintry conditions this April, allowing temperatures to stay consistently mild. On average, the month was around 2°C warmer than usual.

Several locations in the Highlands, Aberdeenshire, and Orkney recorded their warmest April night ever. The standout was Kinloss, where temperatures didn’t dip below 12.6C on the night of 27 April.

Rainfall

Perhaps the most striking feature of April was just how dry it was. Places like Buckie, Huntly, Keith, Inverurie, and Aberdeen received less than 20% of their usual April rainfall—truly exceptional figures.

Fyvie Castle, Oyne, and Dyce all recorded their driest April on record. At Fyvie Castle, just 8mm of rain fell all month—almost 50mm below average. To put that into perspective, that’s about one-sixth of the rainfall recorded there in March.

Looking ahead to May

May has started on a more seasonable note, but I expect temperatures to rise gradually as high pressure remains nearby, keeping conditions largely settled. While there’s currently no signs of any extreme heat, the calmer weather may still bring occasional chilly nights and late frosts.

Rainfall is likely to remain limited—particularly across the west Highlands, around Glasgow, Argyll and Bute, and Ayrshire—so the dry spell looks set to continue. Sunshine is also expected to stay above average, especially further south, although the far north may see a bit more cloud from weak passing weather systems.