Record April temperatures: Scorching in Cape Verde

Intense heat is building in the Cape Verde islands with record temperatures being broken.

The hottest ever April day was just recorded on Sunday 2nd April in the Cape Verde Islands, with 36.7C at Praia. This beat the previous April record of 36.5C from 15th April 2017, also at Praia.

The weather set-up allowed temperatures to carry on rising under the influence of hot, dry winds. These winds, like the "calima" in the Canary Islands, are known as "bruma seca" in Cape Verde, both originating from Africa.

"Bruma seca" is a sandstorm that is whipped up from the Sahara, carrying a dry, sandy mist to the islands. It tends to occur annually during the winter months, between December and February.

This is when conditions are most conducive for a sandstorm, due to the east-west movement of the trade winds from the Sahara to the Atlantic Ocean. It is more likely to affect southern portions of the islands due to their geographical location.

At the end of March, the hot winds had already begun driving westward across the islands. On the 31st March, Praia rose to 35.4C, just 0.3C from the national March record, though the temperature continued to climb in the days following.