APRIL in Huddersfield has been the rainiest on record.

Yesterday’s strong gales and further rainfall has made it a record breaking month – and the misery is set to continue into May.

Huddersfield had more than 150mm of rainfall this month, which is 230% more than normal.

Salendine Nook meteorologist Paul Stevens said: “Reviewing the rainfall totals going back nearly 100 years has revealed what most of us where suspecting – April 2012 will turn out to be the wettest ever for Huddersfield.

“Before Sunday’s storm with heavy rain and strong easterly gales, we had already recorded around 150mm, which is 230% more than normal.

“We would expect around 65mm in a typical April.”

Paul said reviews of the Met Office rainfall records at Oakes, which date back to 1925, makes three dates stand out – in 1986 there was a recorded 121mm of rainfall, 1983 was recorded 131mm but the wettest was in 1966 when Huddersfield was hit by 139mm of April showers. He added: “With 15mm expected to fall yesterday, the provisional final total for April 2012 will be around 165mm, smashing the previous 1966 record by around 25mm.

“It proves quite remarkable after one of the warmest months of March on record in the UK and very different to 2011 when the sun shone.

“So even if summer is long and hot we should get away with any restrictions,” Paul hoped, adding: “Even back in the hot summer of 1976 April of that year was very dry with just 28mm.

But it’s good news for Huddersfield’s reservoir stocks, which remain full.

Temperatures this April were also colder than normal, down by an average of 1.5°c to 5.5°c against a normal temperature of 7.5°c, making March warmer than April.

But Paul predicted more misery for May, adding: “There will be further rain and as we head towards the Bank Holiday possibly colder weather with north- east winds and night frosts and perhaps some wintry weather on the higher hills – all this as spring comes to end.”