April shower

An approaching April shower of snow on Dartmoor, Devon, England. (31 March 2010)

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, an April shower is rain during the month of April. One of the major causes of the often heavy downpours is the position of the jet stream.[1] In early spring, the jet stream starts to move northwards, allowing large depressions to bring strong winds and rain in from the Atlantic. In one day the weather can change from springtime sunshine to winter sleet and snow. The track of these depressions can often be across Ireland and Scotland bringing bands of rain followed by heavy showers (often of hail or snow) and strong blustery winds.

The proverb "March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers", first recorded in 1886,[2] or the shorter, trochaic version "April showers bring May flowers" (originally "Sweet April showers/Do spring May flowers", part of a poem recorded in 1610[3]) are common expressions in English speaking countries. The phrase is referenced in the General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales: "Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote".[4]

References

  1. ↑ "April Showers". BBC Weather centre. 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  2. ↑ Apperson, George Latimer; Manser, Martin H (2006). Dictionary of Proverbs. Wordsworth Editions. p. 372. ISBN 1-84022-311-1. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  3. ↑ Northall, G. F. English Folk-Rhymes: A collection of traditional verses relating to places and persons, customs, superstitions, etc. 1892. pg. 430
  4. ↑ "The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue". Librarius. 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-27.


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