By Philip Eden

It is easy to forget that the first 11 or 12 days of June were dry in most parts of the country; southern, central and western parts of the UK were fair and warm as well. Easterly winds, though, maintained cool, cloudy weather in eastern districts, especially along North Sea coasts which were plagued by persistent haar. The rains did not start until the 12th or 13th, but most parts of the country have had some rain, little or much, on every single day since then.

Mean monthly maximum temperature was below the long-term average in northern and eastern Scotland and northeast England, but the rest of the country was 0.5-1.5°C warmer than average. Average night-time temperature was 1.5-2.0°C above average in all parts of the UK. The month's highest individual reading was 27.2°C at Prestatyn in northeast Wales on the 11th, while the lowest was –2.5°C overnight 13th/14th at Kinbrace in Sutherland. At Aviemore on the 25th the afternoon maximum was a mere 8.8°C, an unusually low figure for late-June.

Averaged nationally, last month failed to break the "wettest June" record by some margin, although many places in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands established new local records. Over England and Wales, the month's total of 141mm was just over twice the long-term average, and the highest since 1860. There have been three wetter Junes in the last 240 years, and that of 1860 was deluged with 157mm. It was not a wet month quite everywhere: the extreme north of Scotland was exceptionally dry, and Shetland and Orkney registered barely 10mm of rain. Monthly totals ranged from 9mm at Baltasound in Shetland to 285mm at Wilsden in West Yorkshire.

In spite of several sunny days during the first half of June, monthly sunshine aggregates fell short of the average very nearly everywhere, although Tiree (240 hours) in the Inner Hebrides exceeded the local average by 20 per cent. Averaged nationally, it was the dullest June since 1998. Along the east coast from Norfolk to Orkney the shortfall was unprecedented. Lowest monthly totals were 65 hours at Edinburgh and 72 hours at Leuchars (Fife). In Aberdeen, June's total of 79 hours was appreciably lower than last December's 88 hours.

© Philip Eden