UK sees warmest April on record

3 May 2011 Last updated at 17:09 Many people took to the beaches during the warm Easter weather Last month was the UK's warmest April on record, the Met Office has said.

The records, which go back more than 100 years, show much of the UK experienced temperatures 3 to 5C warmer than is normal for April.

It was also the 11th driest month, with on average half the usual rainfall.

But there was also great variation in the amount of rain. Parts of north-west Scotland saw about 110% of normal April rainfall, while parts of south-east England saw less than 10% of normal.

The UK average temperature was 10.7C, exceeding the previous warmest April on record of 10.2C in 2007.

Following a drier-than-average winter, the dry April followed a dry March which saw less than half of the normal rainfall falling across the UK.

High pressure

A BBC Weather Centre spokesman said: "The UK-wide records began in 1910, but the central England temperature series goes back to 1659, making it the warmest April here for over 350 years."

He added: "The reason for the warm spring sunshine has been the persistence of high pressure systems dominating the weather pattern.

"These highs have been anchored across, or just to the east, of the UK. As a result, southeasterly winds have brought the warm air up from the near continent and at times from as far away as the Sahara.

"High pressure acts like a block to the weather pattern. It prevents the more typical westerly winds coming in from the Atlantic Ocean and the associated rain bearing weather fronts."

Mazda MX-5 Miata Breaks Another Record

On February 4th, the 900,000th Mazda MX-5 rolled off an assembly line in Hiroshima. While it’s a significant milestone for the roadster, that car also marked a world record for production of two-seat sports cars.

Of course, so has every other MX-5 built since May of 2000, when Mazda first broke the record with their 531,890th car. The folks at Mazda must have Guinness on speed dial, as they’ve updated the record first at 700,000 cars and then when production passed 800,000. They’re currently in the process of ratifying the new record, and prepping for the millionth MX-5.

Since production of the first-generation Miata began in 1989, the bulk of MX-5s and Miatas — nearly a half million — have been sold in North America, with 274,081 going to Europe and 165,013 staying in Japan. Regardless of geography, it’s the most raced car in the world.

The Miata and MX-5 are famously based on the mounted archery principle of Jinba Ittai, where horse and rider act as one. In other words, though it’s not going to break any 0-60 records, the MX-5 is sure fun to drive.

“Its enduring success is due to the strong support it enjoys from MX-5 fans around the world,” said MX-5 Program Manager Nobohiro Yamamoto — the guy sitting in the German-spec 2.0L MX-5 soft-top shown above. “Going forward, I will strive to keep the MX-5’s spirit alive while evolving it into a car that will be loved by even more people.”

Based on his feelings for the MX-5, Yamamoto, who has been with Mazda for 38 years, seems like the kind of exec we’d like to see at more car companies.

“Whenever I attend fan club events, I meet people who treasure their MX-5 like their own partner,” he said. “I feel truly grateful that the MX-5 creates this kind of personal connection. We have always considered the MX-5 to be more than a simple car, and we believe it will bring happiness to everyone who owns one and rides in one.”

We’d be happy to join him for a few laps around the Suzuka Circuit. And after, the Sapporos are on us.

Photo: Mazda

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