Fifty years ago this month people were enjoying highs of 21C but stifling heat and water rationing were on the way
The weather in April 1976 was unusually pleasant. The Easter weekend, which fell in the middle of the month, coincided with a warm spell as an area of high pressure drifted towards the UK. Conditions in Scotland were unsettled but the rest of the country enjoyed sunshine and highs of 21C.
There was very little rainfall in what is traditionally a showery month, with Plymouth receiving a record low of just 4mm. The 12-month period to April 1976 was the driest ever recorded.
