Apri 2017 Weather Summary

The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications’ Meteorological Directorate reported in their monthly weather summary that the month of April 2017 goes on record as the hottest April ever experienced in Bahrain since 1902.

The mean temperature of the month was 27.6°C which is 2.6°C above the long-term normal. This goes on record as being the highest mean monthly temperature for the month of April with an old record of 27.4°C in April 2000 and 2014.

The mean maximum temperature of the month was 32.0°C which also goes on record as the third highest mean maximum temperature for April since 1946 which is exceeded by April 2000 with a temperate of 33.1°C and April 2001 with a temperate of 32.5°C. The highest temperature recorded during the month was 39.6°C which was on the 14^th of April at Bahrain International Airport. During the month, Bahrain had 7 days with a maximum temperature exceeding 35°C.

The mean minimum temperature of the month was 24.1°C which also goes on record as the highest mean minimum temperature for April since 1946 and was the same as April 2010. The lowest temperature recorded was 18.3°C which was on the 6^th of April at Bahrain International Airport but was recorded at 15.5°C on the same night in Durrat Al Bahrain.

The mean relative humidity for April was 52% with a mean maximum relative humidity at 71% and a mean minimum relative humidity at 32%.

The month of April 2017 was the sunniest April since the sunshine records began in 1968 with a total of 318.1 sunshine hours recorded in April 2017. The previous old record was 312.3 hours which was recorded in April 2014.

Only 0.4 mm of precipitation was reported in April 2017 at Bahrain International Airport. Trace amounts were reported on the 8^th of April. It is worth noting that the long-term mean total precipitation for April is 10.0 mm and the highest total of rainfall ever recorded for April was 69.9 mm which occurred in April 1961.

The total precipitation recorded for April 2017 at King Fahd Causeway was 0.2 mm whereas the precipitation at Sitra Island was 0.2 mm, and 0.2 mm at Durrat Al Bahrain.

Northwesterly to Northerly winds accounted for 53% of the observations with gusts reaching 37 knots on the 4^th of April at Bahrain International Airport and at King Fahd Causeway.

The month of April is considered as transitional season period from winter to summer which is usually associated with unsettled weather known locally as (Al-Sarrayat) and which extends until mid-May.

Blowing dust was reported on the 4^th of April with visibility dropping to 3000 meters at Bahrain International Airport. Dust haze was also reported on the 19^th of April where visibility dropped to 3000 meters at Bahrain International Airport.