Last month was the hottest April since 1800 with temperatures running 2.9°C higher than the average for the period from 1961 to 1990, experts said on Wednesday.
Data from the Institute for Climatic and Atmospheric Sciences and the National Research Council showed that compared to the 1961-90 average temperatures last month were as much as 4.5°C higher in the north, 3.5°C in central Italy and 2.4°C higher in the south.
Before last month, the hottest April on record was in 1800 when temperatures ran 2.6°C higher than average.
Because of the record high temperatures in April, the farmers' union Coldiretti said that this year's cherry harvest would be moved up by at least two weeks.
April was also a very dry month, with an average of 19% less rainfall than the 1961-90 average. Although this was far from the record of 88% less rainfall set in April 1844, the situation was dramatically different from north to south.
In the north there were areas which experienced as much a 80% less rain, while in parts of the south there was 75% more rain than the 1961-90 average.
