Spain records hottest and driest April on record

MADRID (AP) — Drought-stricken Spain says last month was the hottest and driest April since records began in 1961. The State Meteorological Agency says the average daily temperature was 14.9 degrees Celsius (58.8 Fahrenheit) — that is 3 degrees Celsius above the average. AEMET said average maximum temperatures during the month were up by 4.7 C. Rainfall was a fifth of what would normally be expected in the month, making it the driest April on record in Spain. Last year was Spain’s hottest since record-keeping started in 1961, and also the country’s sixth driest. Three years of scant rainfall and high temperatures put the country officially into long-term drought earlier this year.