Isle of Man records its wettest ever April

The month saw the wettest April day ever recorded at Ronaldsway

A fifth consecutive month of above average rain saw the Isle of Man experience its wettest April on record.

A total of 5.4in (13.8cm) of rain was collected at Ronaldsway Met Office, exceeding the 5in (13cm) that fell in 1961.

A representative said the first half of the month was "very wet indeed", with 1.9in (4.95cm) falling over 24 hours on 9 April, the highest rainfall for a single day in the month since records began in 1947.

The island saw heavier than usual rainfall throughout much of the last year, with eight of the last 10 months exceeding long term averages.

Ronaldsway Met Office analysis showed higher than average rainfall over several months

Daytime temperatures were close to normal, with an average high of 11.4C (52.52F), while the average minimum of 6.7C (44F) was 1C (33.8F) higher than the 30-year standard.

The highest temperature in the month of 13.5C (56.3F) was recorded on 6 April, which was also the windiest day with gusts of 60mph (96.5km/h) recorded as Storm Kathleen hit the island.

A total of 154.2 hours of sunshine were recorded during the month, 25 hours down on the average.

A Ronaldsway Met Office spokesman said: "As you’d expect sunshine hours were below normal, although a few dry days in the latter part of the month helped."