If June be sunny, harvest comes early.

For me, June always means "June 1976". The days are long, the nights are short, and, with a bit of luck, it is warm. (By "warm" I mean "warm enough to sit outside".) The garden starts to look glorious: the summer flowers begin to open. June makes me think of shimmering heat haze over cornfields full of cornflowers, poppies, and corncockles ... and hayfever is at its peak. In the south of England, grass pollen typically beings to be released between June 5 and 10th, and up to a month later in the far northwest.

The summer solstice is around 21st to 23rd June. On the solstice, the sun is at its furthest north, and is overhead at midday on the Tropic of Cancer. The solstice is the longest day in the northern hemisphere. The sun never sets north of the Arctic Circle. Even in Scotland, it is pretty light all night long. Contrast sunrise and sunset times for London and Inverness on the summer solstice:

London. SR: 4:43 SS: 21:21

Inverness. SR: 4:18 SS: 22:19

Neither London nor Inverness have astronomical twilight around the summer solstice, but London sees some nautical twilight. Inverness doesn't see astronomical twilight from 23 May to 14 August.

Note that in meteorological terms the summer months are all of June, July, and August, while often in popular thought summer starts on 21 June (the summer solstice). Some authorities (e.g. Sotrm Dunlop) talk about five seasons, distinguishing early summer (May and the first part of June) from high summer (late June, July, and August). I think this distinction makes a lot of sense - but I do't think it's going to catch on.

In reality June is rarely very warm. However, the hottest day of the year falls in June about 25% of the time (about the same as August). June is the only month that has not shown any warming trend during the last three centuries. Indeed, June seems to have become duller and wetter. June now averages 178 hours total sunshine, whereas at the beginning of the century the figure was 204 hours. Even snow in the mountains of the north of Britain is not that uncommon, occurring on average one year in three. The average June isn't that much warmer than the average September. Even the hottest Juneson record (1976 and 2023) weren't that much warmer than the average July or August. The last time June was warmer than July before 2023 was more than 50 years before, in 1970, although it also happened in 1960, 1965, and 1966 - July has become warmer since the sixties. In fact there is a nice sequence in the CET, with June the warmest month of the year in 1920, 1922, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1966 and 1970. In Scotland, June was warmer than July in 1988 and 1992. June was warmer than August in 1912, 1920, 1940, 1941, 1960, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1986, 1992 and 1993.

There are supposedly some indications that there are three phases of cold, wet, windy weather in June: 1-4, 12-14, and 20th into July, alternating with anticyclonic spells in between. The period 29 June to 4 July is Buchan's fourth cold spell. Do not rely on it. The frequencies of westerlies tends to pick up during June. A statistiscal quirk: it has never exceeded 30C on 13 June, the only summer date on which this hasn't happened.

June is usually the coolest month of the meteoroloigical summer (June, July, and August). In the past however it was not rare for June to be warmer than July, but since 1970 it hadn't happened again until 2023. An odd fact: in the twentieth century, June was warmer than July in 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, and 1970 (as well as 1922, 1965, and 1966). June has on occasion been warmer than both July and Augus: in 1920, 1940, 1950, 1960, and 1970, with 1966 to spoil the pattern.

Extremes for June in the 20th century

Highest June average overall = 17.0 (1976)

Lowest June average overall = 11.8 (1909, 1916, 1972)

Highest maximum = 35.6 (28th, Southampton, 1976; possibly 29th, London in 1957)

Lowest minimum = -5.6 (9th, Dalwhinnie in 1955; 1st and 3rd, Santon Downham, Norfolk, in 1962)

Some extreme weather events in June in the twentieth century

1900 Some severe thunderstorms with notable hail this month. It reached 31C in London on the 11th, but there were some severe thunderstorms across the Midlands in the 11-12th, with damaging hail. Many people were hurt by large hailstones at Gorebridge (Lothian) on the 12th.

1901 Very cold (13.9).

1902 Very cold (13.9). Long wet spell midmonth, with 29mm in London on the 13th, with a maximum of only 12C.

1903 Very cold (13.0C CET). Maximum of only 10 in London on the 19th. The month is the wettest in record for London, but all the rain fell in the middle of the month: 150 mm of rain fell in London between the the 9th and 19th. Kew recorded 183 mm, and there was more in Surrey, with 227 mm at Carshalton. The rain at Camden Square lasted 58.5 hours from the 13th to the 15th, and this is probably the longest period of continuous rain recorded in England, and one of the longest in Britain (see December 1994). The rain was accompanied by a very cool NE airflow. Obviously the result was severe flooding in the southeast. At Kew Observatory 183mm of rain fell during the middle fortnight. The wet weather arose from a complex low settled over the south, with a NE airflow. It was in contrast very dry across other parts of the country.

1905 In a wet first week Margate received 77mm on the 5-6th, with a maximum of only 11C.

1906 Mostly fine. There was 60 mm of rain in 10 hours at Kew on the 28-29th.

1907 Very cool (12.4C CET) and wet, particularly in NW England and SW Scotland.

1908 A dry month in England. The Tunguska meteorite event on the 30th led to some spectacular sunsets and bright nights.

1909 The equal coldest of the century (11.8). It was a very dull month, with no sunshine at all in London from the 2-6th. A maximum of only 10C in Oxford and Bath on the 6th. More outstandingly cold, wet dull weather from the 10-12th, and 20-28th. Thunderstorms on the 23-24th. The Trooping of the Colour in London was abandoned on the 24th. London had a total of just 90 hours of sunshine all month.

1910 The first three weeks were fine and warm, but with some notable thunderstorms. On the 9th over 130 mm of rain fell in storms at Reading and Oxford. The weather became more inclement from the 20th.

1911 Warm and the worst month of the extended summer. Nevertheless there was plenty of fine, dry, warm, and sunny weather around. The first ten days of the month saw a heatwave with 31C reached in London on the 5th; Stonehaven near Aberdeen reached 29.4C on the 8th, one of the highest early temperatures recorded in Scotland. The second was less hot but still warm. The weather was more unsettled with rain from the 16th to the 16th. The coronation of George V on June 22 saw a cloudy day with a cold breeze. Much rain fell in the NE on 23-24th, with flooding in parts of Northumberland and Yorkshire. The rest of the month became dry and warm. In spite of the rain, the month was sunnier than average, and parts of east Scotland recorded less than an inch of rain.

1912 Cold, wet, and dull. There was a prolonged wet spell from the 9th to the 19th (150 mm of rain in London). Thunderstorms were recorded on 14 days at Clitheroe (Lancs.). It was a litle warmer briefly around the 20th, with 29C (84F) recorded at Greenwich.

1913 Wet in NW Scotland but fine, dry, and warm elsewhere It was very dry in Southern England. 88F was recorded (about 31C) at Wantage (Oxon.) on the 17th.

1914 Generally bright and dry. It was cool between the 5th and 9th. There were violent thunderstorms in London on the 14th, leading to flooding, hail damage, and 7 people killed when a tree was struck by lightning on Wandsworth Common. 94mm of rain fell in 2.75 hours at Richmond Park. On the 18th a thunderstorm near Carrbridge in the Highlands led to flooding and the destruction of a railway bridge: five people died in a train accident that resulted from this. The second half was warmer, and hot at the end of the month, with 31.5 C (89F) recorded in London on the 30th. It was a dry month in the south, with under 8 mm of rain at Ventnor (IOW) all month, 0.28 inch of rain was recorded at Portland Bill, and only 0.37 inch at Southampton; but it was wet in NE England. It was sunny in East Anglia. 270 hours of sunshine were recorded in the Isle of Wight all month. 

1915 Fine and warm: 32C was recorded at Cromer on the 10th.

1916 Very cold and dull. Equal coldest of the century (11.8C CET). It was a dull month with many northerlies and slow-moving depressions. Rain was persistent and thunderstorms were few and far between. Aberdeen recorded 166mm in 143 hours of rain. The wettest place was the Moray Firth, with 200mm. It wasn't quite so bad in the west and south, and there was even an official "drought" (14 days without measurable (defined as more than 0.1mm now, 0.01 inches then) in the middle of the month in some places in England. The highest temperature of the month anywhere in the country was only 20C; and it only made 8C in Norwich on the 12th and Harrogate on the 13th. There were even some frosts at the start of the month, causing crop damage. Locations in the north averaged only 4 hours of sun a day for the month.

1917 A severe thunderstorm on a hot day may have given 118 mm of rain in 2 hours at Kensington the 16th; 70 mm of rain was definitely recorded in two hours at Camden Square. Then 34C was widespread on the 17th. The record daily rainfall for the month of June is 242.8 mm, which was set at Sexey's School Bruton (Somerset) on the 28th; Aisholt in the Quantocks saw 213 mm, and 150 mm fell at Glastonbury. (There is some debate as to whether this firgure is too high, and some consider June 2020 to hold the record.) It was a very wet night across the south, with most places recording over 50 mm. A low moved along the English Channel with very heavy (occasionally thundery) rain to the north. In Somerset the rain began late in the afternoon of the 28th, peaked in the middle of the night, and continued until midday on the 29th. Needless to say, such an amount of rain led to flooding. Otherwise, one of the best Junes of the century: warm (15.2C CET) and sunny.

1918 Dry and sunny but with some cold nights.

1919 Warm and sunny first half, cool, wet second.

1920 The highest temperature of the year occurred on 17 June (27.8C at Raunds); this is the second  lowest highest yearly temperature of the twentieth century (see 1962).

1921 A very dry month. There was no measurable rain at all in parts of Sussex all month. 31C was recorded on the 17th, and then 32C in Manchester on the 25th.

1922 The early heatwave ended on the 1st. Generally a dry, sunny month, but with cooler, unsettled spells 14-15th, and from the 24th on. The temperature at Kew was 76F on the 12th but only 53F on the 14th. Only half an inch of rain fell at Shrewsbury all month.

1923 Cold and dry.

1924 Dull everywhere and quite dry apart from the west. The third week however was fine. There was flooding in the Worcester area: the Three Counties Show was severely disrupted, and several animals had to be rescued.

1925 Very dry and sunny. The driest month this century (4.3 mm), and the second driest month ever (after February 1891). Some places in the SW received no measurable rain at all. It was particularly sunny in Cornwall; Falmouth recorded 375 hours, and Pendennis Castle, near Falmouth, recorded 381.6 hours. This is the highest monthly sunshine record for this century. However, winds were often from the north, so in spite of a warm spell midmonth, temperatures overall were close to average.

1926 A cold beginning: it was only 11C in London on the 1st.

1927 A cold month. It was the coldest June in Edinburgh since 1763.

1928 Unsettled, cool and wet.

1929 Very sunny in the SW.

1930 Largely dry, sunny, and warm, but there were some severe storms on the 18th: 90 mm fell at Cheltenham and 68 mm at Greenwich.

1931 Unsettled, cloudy and wet for the first three weeks, except for Essex and Kent. There were storms and a damaging tornado in Birmingham on the 14th; 60m of rain in 38 minutes at Cannock. The event began around 2 pm, hitting Sparkbrook and Erdington, with a 750m track damaging houses. One person was killed. Storms were widespread that day; 11 mm of rain was reported in Hereford in 6 minutes, and 60 mm was reported at Stafford in 38 minutes. Fine final week.

1932 A dry month but with some heavy rain at the end. Cold NE winds at the start gave maxima of only 10C over eastern England on 4-5th. After a warm sunny spell mid-month, cold NE set in again around the 20th.

1933 A warm month overall. The hottest and sunniest Whitsun Bank Holiday (before the date was fixed as the last Monday in May in 1967). The temperature was over 27 C over much of central and east England on the 3rd; on Sunday 4th it was 29.4C over much of the country (in London, Rhyl, Lancaster, Edinburgh, Elgin); and less widespread but hotter still on the 5th, reaching 31.7C in Camden Square. For much of the country it was cloudless from the 1-8th. Then, for most of the second half of the month low pressure gave cool, showery weather with thunder. Some notable thunderstorms on the 19th: lightning deaths around London, and hail four inches deep in Kent.

1934 Dry and warm. Anticyclonic until the 23rd. 32C at Greenwich on the 17th. On the 23rd and 24th there were 17.3 and 17.4 hours of sunshine at Lerwick.

1935 A thundery month. The first three weeks were dull, cool, and wet. 75mm of rain fell on Dartmoor on the 6th. Most notable storms were at the end of the month when the weather turned hot. Severe thunderstorms on the 23rd and 25th. There were two main areas of severe storms on the 23rd. 140mm of rain fell around Caernafon in the middle of the night, causing severe flooding. A second storm affected the Aberfeldy area, with 100mm of rain plus causing flooding. Between Aberfeldy and Crieff the River Almond rose about 12' above average at Conichan Bridge. On the 25th a low of SW England moved north. At Swainswick (near Bath) 153 mm of rain fell in four hours. This led to landslips in the valley, flooding, and bridges being swept away. The Avon rose 150 cms in Bath causing severe flooding.

1936 There was a quiet start to the month. Cool and unsettled first half; it became much warmer in the second half. There were some very low minima on the 1st, with some very late frosts. There were some violent thunderstorms mid-month, starting off in the southeast on the night of the 17th. Widespread severe storms up to the 21st; continuous thunder and lightning at Bridgewater for 12 hours. Two thunderstorms a day at Farnborough from the 18-20th; the last one was accompanied by strong winds and gave 24mm of rain and hail in 48 minutes. Widespread hail damage to crops in the St. Albans area on the 21st; hailstones exceeded 2cms in diameter. The temperature fell from 30C to 18C in 6 minutes, and there was 112 mm of rain. 102 mm of rain at Nuneaton. 30C in London on the 20th. There were more severe thunderstorms at the end of the month; flooding around Bristol, and 76mm of rain in one hour at Bodmin.

1937 A dry month, apart from some thunderstorms in the NW and Scotland.

1938 An unsettled month. Notable gales at the beginning and end. 82mm of rain at Haverfordwest on the 1st; damaging gale on the night of the 1-2nd (Calshot, Hants., recorded at gust of 88mph); and only 8C at Buxton on the 2nd. Another gale on the 27th; 77mph at Belfast. A pressure of only 968 mbar on Shetland on the 28th. Overall the month was wet in the west (215mm at Keswick, 110mm of it in the first six days), but dry in the southeast.

1939 A fine sunny start to the month, with 32C (90F) reached at Camden on the 7th. There were some very large daily ranges of 40-50F int this spell. At Houghall, County Durham there was a 47F range on 3rd & 4th and a 42F range on the 5th & 6th. The actual maximum and minimum temperatures recorded at Houghall on these dates:

3rd June 1939 - Minimum 30F (-1.1C), Maximum 77F (25.0C)

4th June 1939 - Minimum 37F (2.8C), Maximum 84F (28.9C)

5th June 1939 - Minimum 40F (4.4C), Maximum 82F (27.8C)

6th June 1939 - Minimum 45F (7.2C), Maximum 87F (30.6C)

The second half of the month was cool and changeable. On the 17th there was supposedly a downpour of frogs at Trowbridge (Wilts.).

1940 The warmest June of the century in Scotland, and at 16.4 ºC CET the second warmest of the century over England and Wales. The month started warm, following on from a fine May. It was hottest in the first ten days of the month, peaking at 33C at Cranwell (Lincs.) on the 9th. Very sunny and dry, but less settled in the second half. Indeed, Boscombe Down (Wilts.) only made 13C on the 23rd. Mountstewart, Co. Down in Northern Ireland, had 298 hours of sunshine, the record highest monthly sunshine total for Northern Ireland. Perth recorded 31.7 ºC (89 ºF) on the 6th, the highest temperature in Scotland since 12th July 1911 when 90F was recorded at Perth.

1941 A very dry month. The first half was cool and unsettled. There was a maximum of only 11C in eastern England on the 11th. It was very hot around the 22nd, with 33C recorded in the SE. On the same day, however, 113 mm of rain fell in a thunderstorm at Newcastle.

1942 Very dry. It began very hot with 30C recorded on the 5th, but then turned cooler, with snow on the Scottish mountains on the 12th. Generally fine and sunny in the south. There were only 4mm of rain at Edgbaston all month. 90F was recorded at Camden on the 6th. There was no rain at Abergavenny.

1943 A thundery, unsettled month until the 26th, then fine.

1944 Mainly dull and cool. It was drier in the SE and E but wet in the west. The Normandy Landings had to be postponed from the 5th to the 6th because of the forecast of poor weather. A severe gale on the 5th with gusts of 64 mph in the far NW. Indeed, this depression was the record lowest for Britain in June (976.8 mbar). In any case, wind and swell caused problems for the landings. Later in the month a storm in the Channel caused further disruption.

1945 Mainly unsettled. There were some cool days and mild nights. Drier in the SE bu wetter in west and NW.

1946 Cool, dull, and wet. There were only one or two warm days (the 22nd and 23rd in some areas).

1947 Very warm (15.5C CET). It was very hot at the start, with a few thunderstorms. The temperature exceeded 30C on five successive days (starting in May), with a high of 34.4C on the 3rd at Camden Square and Kensington in London and Waddington (Lincs.). A thunderstorm in London on the 27th resulted from cloud so dense it was almost completely dark at midday.

1948 The first month at the end of a run fifteen consecutive warm months with beneath average temperatures.

1949 After a cool, wet start, things became much better. It was dry from the 12th onwards across the country, and some places had no rain after the 7th. The last 17 days saw unbroken sunshine in the west. It was hot from the 25th on. On the 26th it was 29C at Glasgow and Falkirk; on the 27th it was 31 in Southend and 30.5 in London. It worked out to be the driest June since 1942.

1950 There as a mini-heatwave on the 6th and 7th: 32.8C was recorded at West Kirby Park (Merseyside), and Manchester on the 6th, and  in Hull on the 7th. It even reached 31.1 even in Glasgow on the 6th 33.3 was recorded at Camden Square in London on the 7th; remarkable for such an early date. 28.9C was recorded at Dyce (Aberdeen) on the 7th; this was the record highest temperature here until August 1995. A good month overall, being one of the warmest Junes of the century. There as though flooding in Wadebridge and Camelford in north Cornwall.

1951 Quite dry and sunny.

1952 A changeable month with mostly westerly winds. There was very little in the way of very heavy rain, and the only truly hot days were at the end of the month, when 31C was recorded locally on the 30th. Warmer and sunnier in the Se and E, dull and unsettled in the NW.

1953 A dull month. The month had a cold start. Coronation day was on the 2nd, with heavy rain; it was cold, too (about 12C in London). Travelling in an open carriage was no fun. There was some flooding, which was particularly bad in the northwest. A dreadful day. The month then became warmer for a while, before turning cooler midmonth. There were then some spells of heavy rain. There were notable thundery outbreaks on the 16th and 26th. On the 16th thunder was widespread across the east and north, with a particularly notable storm near Sedbergh (Cumbria), where 186 mm of rain fell. There was flooding in the Lune valley, houses and crops damaged; 106 mm of rain was reported. A larger area was affected by the storms of the 26th. 72 mm in 55 minutes at Windermere. 43 mm in 15 minutes at Melton Mowbray, with flooding in Leicestershire. Large power failure over south Wales. It was hot later in the month. The 30 minute rainfall record was set this month, with 80.0 mm at Eskdalemuir on the 26th (with 107 mm in total, and 97mm in 45 minutes).

1954 Changeable, dull and cool. 83 mm of rain fell at Ross on Wye on the 5th. Up to that point it was the dullest June in England and Wales since 1909.

1955 Cool and dull. The equal record low for June of -5.6C was set at Dalwhinnie on the 9th. Generally a dull and cool month. At Rotherham it reached23C on the 6th but only 10C on the 7th. There were thunderstorms in the south and SE on the 9th..

1956 Generally a cool, unsettled, thundery month. The temperature was only 9C at Wittering on the 7th. There was a notable thunderstorm in the Bradford area on the 11th gave an exceptional downpour: 155 mm of rain in 120 minutes at Hewenden Reservoir, with 156 mm in total, obviously leading to flooding. This thunderstorm occurred in cool surface weather, although the upper air temperatures were warmer, associated with a depression centred over the North Sea. The rainfall was heaviest on the hills between Denholme and Flappit. Storm water in the Ellar Carr and Manywells Becks caused flooding in Cullingworth village. Damage to the Keighley-Halifax road after the verge and a wall collapsed. Also on the 11th, several bridges were swept aside following flooding after a storm at Glenmore Lodge in the Cairngorms.

1957 One of the sunniest and warmest on record, and quite dry. Over 15 hours of sunshine were recorded at Manchester Airport every day from the 14th to the 21st, and 15 hours of sunshine were recorded widely across England on the 17th. There was a notable thunderstorm on the 8th in Cornwall: 203 mm of rain falling at Camelford led to flooding, with 140 mm of it in two and a half hours, with about half of that in just one hour. There were hail-drifts up to 2 feet deep. Bridges were destroyed. It was very warm over much of the UK from the 12th-20th. However, some violent thunderstorms affected the southwest: Teignmouth endured flooding on the 18th. There was a notable heatwave at the end of the month, carrying on to the 7 July. The equal record high for June, 35.6C, was set on the 29th in London (Camden Square) - in fact it was probably recorded at 96F, which is 35.55, so coooler. At Kew, the temperature reached 27C (80F) for ten days, and then on the last three days of the month, 32C (90F) was recorded at a number of locations across the SE. However, the east coast was considerably cooler. Sandown (IOW) had 345 hours of sunshine, and over 300 hours was recorded across many sites in England. With an average of 265 hours across England and Wales it was the sunniest month on record until 2020.

1958 Very wet with some flooding. 184 mm of rain recorded at Kew. It was wet everywhere apart from Lerwick where only 15 mm of rain fell. No day rose over 80F anywhere.

1959 Warmer than average (15.2C CET). On the 14th it reached 28.3C at Dundee. The highest pressure record for June was set this month: 1043 mbar over Northern Ireland.

1960 Warm and sunny overall, but with a cool, changeable second week. The final in a sequence of 17 consecutive warmer-than-average months. There was a hot spell after midmonth, and on the 18th, 32C was reached locally (e.g. Wyton). There were some violent thunderstorms on the nights of the 22-23 and 23-24, after a hot spell. It was 28.9C at Morecombe and 28.3C at Rhyl on the 22nd. There were 8 hours of continuous thunder in the West Midlands overnight on the 22-23. East Anglia was particularly affected on the 23-24th. 100 mm of rain fell in just over 5 hours at Duns Tew Manor in Oxfordshire on the on the 23rd, and 75 mm overnight in Suffolk. The lightning was particularly prominent: there were over 7000 strokes at Woolhampton (Berks.) between 1.45 am and 6.45 am on the 23rd. There were two lightning-related deaths.

1961 There was a very cold first day, but it then became much warmer, dry, and sunny. 31C was recorded a Abingdon on the 30 June. It was particularly sunny in the soitheast and East Anglia, but cloudier over the north. A dry month overall.

1962 The first week was sunny; it was cool at first, with some sharp frosts. It was 0C at Hurn on the 2nd. Then the record low of -5.6 was equalled at Santon Downham (Norfolk) on the 1st and 3rd - part of a sequence of 11 consecutive air frosts that started on 29 May. It became warmer in the second week, with 27C at Wakefield on the 8th. There were some wide daily temperature ranges: on 8th June 1962 the minimum at Santon Downham was -2.8C (27F), and the maximum was 25.6C (78F), a range of 28.4C (51F). Overall it was the sunniest June for 5 years at Kew. It was a very dry month overall, with less than a quarter of inch of rain all month from Yorkshire to London, and rainless in parts of southern England. It was though quite cool, being the coolest June of 60s.

1963 The month had a warm, thundery start. A violent thunderstorm in London on the 7th. 57mm of rain in 35 minutes at Kensington Palace; 62mm in two hours at Mill Hill. Flooding at Victoria and Paddington stations. 150 mm of rain fell in 3 hours in parts of Norfolk on the 6th. Flooding in the Wadebridge area. Overall warm and sunny first half, cool and changeable second half.

1964 Dull and unsettled.

1965. About average.

1966 Warm but wet. It was particularly wet in the north, and it was very dull in Scotland (where it was the dullest since records began) and Northern Ireland. June was the warmest month of the summer according to the CET, and indeed the warmest of any month from September 1964 until July 1967. Those terrible sixties summers ...

1967 Very close to the long-term average temperature overall. Cool and unsettled start; then a finer, dry spell. The final ten days were cool and unsettled. There were some violent thunderstorms on the 24th and 25th: 36 mm if rain fell in 42 minutes at Aberystwyth on the 24th. A party of six potholers were drowned in a flash flood in the Mossdale caving disaster, near Wharfedale, Yorkshire, following torrential rain on the 24th of June.

1968 Slightly above average temperature - the only month of the summer in which that was the case. It was fine from the 8th to the 17th, with parts of Scotland seeing unbroken sunshine; it reached 28C on the 10th. The last day of the month was hot across England and Wales. A tornado left a "trail of havoc" across the Midlands on Friday 28 June. The tornado touched down in Bartley Green, a suburb of SW Birmingham, passing on to Weoley Castle, where it did the most damage, taking the roof off  houses and shops. and bringing down a local landmark - a "cornucopia" on top aof  brick pillar that used to stand outside the "California" pub. It then passed over the top of Paganal School, and followed the Bourn Brook before finally doing some damage to cars parked at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

1969 Another very average month, very slightly cooler than usual.The month had a cool, wet start, but became thundery around the 14th. On the 14th, 59 mm of rain fell at Barnsley in 45 minutes, accompanied by large hailstones. It was however a very sunny month, especially across England and Wales.

1970 The second warmest of century (16.4C). 32C was recorded at Maldon (Essex) on the 10th. Thunderstorms midmonth gave some exceptional rainfall rates - two of the top ten heaviest rainfall rates of the century occurred this month. The first storms appeared over eastern Scotland on the 6th as a small trough of low pressure moved west. 93 mm of rain in 117 minutes at Lossiemouth. There were 111 mm of rain in 90 minutes at Miserden (Glocs., equivalent to 74 mm a hour). The night of the 10-11th was very warm: minimum of 19C in Manchester (then a record). There were violent thunderstorms in the Manchester area on the 11th, with golfball-sized hailstones. Flooding in the northwest, from Derby to Bury. A storm in London caused flooding at Heathrow, closing the runways. An exceptional event gave 67 mm of rain in 25 minutes at Pershore (Worcs.), equivalent to 161 mm per hour. On the 11th, 31C was recorded at Barr in SW Scotland. There were more thunderstorms on the 27th, affecting the Fens and East Anglia, causing flooding, particularly around King's Lynn and March, where large hailstones devastated 4000 acres of crops. There was a tornado at March. Also on the 27th, 50.8 mm of rain fell in 12 minutes at Wisbech. This is the highest rainfall rate of the twentieth century. (It is equivalent to 254 mm per hour; only the Preston downpour of August 1893 was more ferocious, and that reading is questionable); altogether 100 mm fell in 140 minutes. There were four deaths caused by lightning. On the other hand, there was a drought in the northwest. June was warmer than July this year - the last time this happened, although it had happened a couple of times in the 60s.

1971 The month was cold (12,4C CET) and wet; it was also very dull. Across the country it was the coldest since 1828. It was particularly wet along the south coast, with four times the averate rainfall around Eastbourne. The first week was fairly dry. The second week was exceptionally cold and wet, particularly in the south. The temperature was only 8C in the Midlands on the 9th, and there was a local frost in the north. Rain broke out on the 8th, with snow on the Cairngorms. On the 10th a depression gave more rain: 82 mm of rain fell in 36 hours at Ventnor (IOW).  53.4 mm of rain fell on the 10th at Southampton, the wettest June day there since 1905. There was flooding 3' deep in Bournemouth on the 10th, and then there was flooding further north on the 11th. There was more very cold, wet weather on the 14th; 60 mm of rain in 36 hours in mid-Kent with temperatures around 10C. There was snow on the Pennines, with frosts later. More rain on the 18th, and another cool day. The second half of the month was a little better. At Gorleston (Norfolk) and Stonyhurst (Lancs.) the maximum was less than 15C on 17 days of the month. Throughout the month winds were often from the north and east. Many places failed to reach 21C once during the month. There was much flooding, and disruption to traffic and farming. Grim stuff which I have completely repressed, although it must have meant a lot of cross-country runs with the sports pitches unavailable. Now those I have not repressed. A colder June month was though to follow next year.

1972 Very cold; the temperature never exceeded 23C. It was the equal coldest of the century (11.8C, along with 1909 and 1916), and only 1675 was colder. Fortunately there hasn't been a June as cool since. It was wet as well. Northern Ireland recorded the lowest temperature of the month, with a minimum of -1.2C. It was though dry in the London area.

1973 Very slightly warmer than average (14.8). Quite dry in places.

1974 Very close to the average temperature overall. The highest temperature of the year was only 28.0, and it happened on the 15 June in Southampton (of course). You have to go back to 1962 for a lower highest temperature. I must have been doing my O-levels around then; but then, it's always hot around exam time. There were some heavy thunderstorms, leading to flash flooding, on the 16th. 96 mm of rain fell at Ambroseden (Oxon.) on the 16th.

1975 A dry month with a dramatic change from very cold to warm. It was a cold start to the month, following on from the cold end to May. Snow fell and lay on high ground in the Midlands on the morning of Monday the 2nd, with sleet as far south as Portsmouth. Gleneagles recorded -3.3C on the 2nd. Famously, snow affected play in the County cricket match between Derbyshire and Lancashire in Buxton: the game was abandoned for the day on the Monday because the snow cover was an inch deep. Snow was reported as fallen at a cricket game at Lords on the same day and over a large portion of East Anglia, accompanied by low midday temperatures (2C). Snow lay on the hills around Birmingham, and was also reported at Portsmouth and Ramsgate. Snow lay for four days in parts of Scotland. This is the latest reliable date on which snow has fallen in lowland Britain, and was an exceptional event, with a return likelihood of 250 years (which is comparable to the Great Storm of October 1987). There were low grass minima on the 4th (e.g. -6C at Kew). There were also gales in places. Pressure then started to build, and by the 6th it was very warm (25C across the country, and it reached 28C on the 7th. Warmest: 28.9C at Achneshellach on the 9th, and 30C on the 12th at Ellbridge (Cornwall). It was also a very dry month: only 6% of normal rainfall in some places in the SW (e.g. Gloucester and Torquay), and less than 1 mm of rain in parts of the southest. After the snow, most of the month was hot, sunny, and dry, but with some notable thunderstorms. On the 16th, a thunderstorm gave 72.3 mm in 2 hours at Midhurst (W Sussex), with heavy hail. On the other hand, parts of mid Hampshire, Dorset, and Wiltshire had no rain at all month. Some places in the south averaged 11 hours sun a day. On the night of the 28-29 a cold front led to some very low temperatures, with some frost.

1976 Phew, "what a scorcher." The hottest, most prolonged summer on record, peaking from the 22 June to 16 July. After an unremarkable beginning to the month, with some frontal activity, an anticyclone moved in and winds turned to the south. The temperature was in the 80s on the 7th and reached 31C in the SE on the 9th. It then turned cooler and more unsettled for 10 days before the high pressure returned. A warm front then moved north-east on the 21st, ushering in the extraordinary heat, as the Azores high built, and some very hot air swept across the country. The previous dry weather facilitated some very high temperatures. From 23 June to 7 July inclusive, for 15 consecutive days, the temperature exceeded 32C (nearly good old 90F) somewhere in the country. No previous heatwave (or indeed, any since) had seen more than five consecutive days over 90F. Furthermore, five days exceeded 35C (a temperature only recorded 7 other times in the 20th century). On the 26th, 35.4C was reached at North Heath (Sussex) and East Dereham (Norfolk) - the earliest date in the century on which 35C (95F) has been exceeded. Then there was a maximum of 35.6C at Mayflower Park in Southampton on the 28 June. This is the equal record high for June. It made 35.5C there the preceding day. Fortunately, I was there! I did a summer job in a factory, and the heat was stifling. Have you tried frying eggs on the pavement? (This is apocryphal. According to my copy of Mcgee's On Food and Cooking you need to reach 70C to cook egg white - and according to my weather newsgroup chums tarmac starts to melt at 50C! Stories abound about attempts to make it look like eggs are fying on pavements "assisted by" meths.) Southampton is favoured in hot spells with a NE breeze because it is sheltered from the wind. Please let's have another summer like this one ... The skies were largely cloud free, and the humidity was very low. Norther Ireland's record high of 30.8C at Knockarevan was set on the 30th. Needless to say, at the peak of the "Great Drought", it was very dry, although there was a prolonged downpour on the 19th (a Saturday) in the south of England (preventing play in the test match against the West Indies on the Saturday), as a waving cold front gave 25 mm of rain in places. The month overall was the warmest June of the century in England and Wales (16.5C CET). Of course, this must be the June month of the century for weather.

1977 A very wet, cool month (12.2C CET): 1972 was the last June cooler than this, and there wouldn't be one cooler until 1991. The fine, warm spell that continued from the end of May ended with cold, windy (NW), wet weather on the 4-5th. The Queen's Jubilee Day, the 6th, saw more rain, particularly in the SW. It was the windiest day of the extended summer, with a gust of 50 mph at Dungeness. The maximum in Glasgow that day was only 7C. There were some spectacular thunderstorms on the 14th: 57 mm of rain in 45 minutes at Biggin Hill.

1978 Somewhat cooler than average. The highest temperature of the year was recorded on the unusually early date of the 4 June: only 28.8C at Poolewe (Highland) in Scotland. This is the last time the year's highest maximum was recorded in Scotland. 18 June was a very sunny day in the west, with clost to maximum possible for a day recorded in parts of the west.

1979 Very slightly cooler than average. There were some severe thunderstorms in the first half. On the 13th, a thunderstorm resulted in flash flooding at Skipton. On the whole though quite a dry month, with many places receiving less than 20% of the average. Edinburgh had only 3.5 mm, making it the driest June there since 1896.

1980 The wettest of the twentieth century in Scotland. There was a major outbreak of thunderstorms in the north and west on the 5th. Deaths by lightning; tornado at Nairn wrecked a caravan site. 67mm of rain in two hours caused flooding at Darwen (Lancs.). More storms on the 14th: 24 mm of rain in 10 minutes at Sudbury. Widespread storms every afternoon from the 22nd-26th. On the 25th hail lay to a depth of 25cm in Sevenoaks; the temperature fell to 7C; rainfall was 116 mm in 105 minutes.

1981 A dull and cool month, with frequent northerlies after midmonth. There was a maximum of only 12C in parts of the south on the 26th. Heavy rainfall over east Kent.

1982 The wettest this century in England and Wales before 1997. Much of the rain came from thunderstorms. King's Lynn had 13 thunder days that month. Some notable thunderstorms at the start of the month, which began hot and humid. Thuderstorms on the afternoon of the first led to flooding arounf Huddersfield. There was 90 mm of rain in two hours at Wooton Bassett (Wilts) on the 2nd. 92 mm of rain at Cheshunt (Herts.) and 61mm at Enfield on the 4th. Cheshunt then had a further 35mm of rain on the 5th (that meant twice the normal monthly rainfall in two days). Thunderstorms were widespread on the 4-6th, with lightning deaths. 39 mm of rain in 25 minutes at Stoke-by-Clare (Suffolk) on the 6th; 96 mm at Skipton (North Yorks.) on the 6th. At the same time, 30C was reached at Tummel Bridge on the 5th. There was a notable hailstorm in Bristol on the 18th. Two days of rain over northern England on the 21-22nd, with low daytime temperatures of only 10 degrees. The area around the Humber had 100 mm of rain in 75 hours in that spell. Heavy downpour in Epping Forest on the 25th causing muddy flooding. On the 26th a severe storm in north London led to the death of three children by drowning in a swollen stream at Hendon. 36mm at Stanmore, most of it in half an hour. A severe hailstorm at Ludlow (Shrops.) on the 26th resulted in foot-deep hail drifts. There were only 20 minutes of sunshine in Newcastle from the 17th to 26th inclusive. The month was however very dry in northern Scotland.

1983 Mostly cloudy and cool. A very dry month in the south but with some notable thunderstorms. As hot air from the south met cool air from the northeast, there were some severe thunderstorms on the 5th over the south coast, with hail reported up to 75 mm, although most were around 30mm. There was a small tornado near Brighton, leading to a crabfall. The storm clouds were reported as an eery green colour. Coal picked up by a small tornado fell on Poole during a storm. The cold front associated with the depression led to more thunder and hailstorms on the 7th, particularly over Wales and the west: hailstones 75 mm in diameter were reported in a storm in Manchester, with spectacular lightning. Much damage. There were some unsettled westerlies in second week. It was then warm and settled before more severe thunderstorms on 23rd, with103 mm of rain near Alresford (Hants.). Unsettled end, with many places in the south having their first real substantial rain for three weeks.

1984 Mostly dry. Sunny in the east. The month had some unsettled in the first week with some thudery rain. High pressure dominated the country for the middle of the month. There were thunderstorms again on the 20th.

1985 Very wet in East Anglia. A 25m tree at Aldenham School (Herts.) was struck by lightning and exploded. Snow in northern Britain on June 7.

1986 It was cool until the 11th. It was wet and windy on the 10th, with heavy snow in the Cairngorms. One of the warmest June nights of the century was on the 27th in Exeter, where the minimum was 22C.

1987 The dullest June on record, with an average of only 4.09 hours sun per day. It was also cool and wet. The best weather was to be found in the far NW, in the Outer Hebrides. There were gales in places on the 6th. There were some notable thunderstorms in East Anglia, with deep hail cover near Cambridge. 71 mm of rain fell at Sudbury on the 15th. There was a hot spell right at the end, with 30C recorded on Jersey on the 29th.

1988 Very dry over England and Wales. Very warm in Scotland.

1989 This month had a very warm spell in the middle of the month, but was cold at the beginning and end. The minimum was 1.5C on the 3rd at Hurn airport (Bournemouth). It was 27C at Aviemore on the 18th, and 30.5 in Leeds on the 20th. Halesowen had the warmest June day since 1976 (29.7 on the 20th) and the coldest night since 1962 (0.1 on the 2nd). It was the sunniest since 1976. The "snow" reported at Gillingham and Chatham in North Kent on the 6th was nothing more than a heavy hailstorm, with laying hail.

1990 Cool, wet, and dull (only 90 hours of sunshine in London).

1991 Cold (12.1) and wet; 25 rain days in some places. Dull (79% average). Snowfall in the Grampians on the 2-3rd. Midday temperature on the 7th of only 9C in the London area. Chipstead (Surrey) recorded -1.7C on the 2nd. On the 9th, there was snow down to 600 m, causing travel problems in northern Scotland.

1992 One of the warmest of the century (15.8), and the warmest since 1976 in many places. It was also mainly sunny and dry. Shetland reached 24.0C on the 9th - a June record. Very warm spell in Scotland 6-10th. Maximum of only 7C on the 19th in southeast England.

1993 Mostly fine and dry, but there were some very violent thunderstorms and heavy rain midmonth (9-16th). A thunderstorm gave 125 mm of rain at Culdrose (Cornwall); 92 mm in two hours early on the 9th. Flooding in Helston. Hailstone damage to glass In Northants. 175mm on the 10th at Llandudno, 140mm of it in 4 hours; flooding over the area and in Conwy. 121 mm in 2.5 hours at North Weald, with much flooding. 92mm in three hours at Epping. There was more very heavy rain over Wales and the southwest on the 11th and 12th, with strong wind and low temperatures; 130 mm on Davistow Moor (N Cornwall) in 24 hours. The month was very dull in Scotland.

1994 Generally dry, sunny, and warm. There were though some violent thunderstorms on the 24th over the sotheast as a cold front moved east. Lightning damage and sadly loss of life. 27mm of rain fell in 11 minutes at Wokingham; there were large hailstones; winds of 47mph, and a gust of 62mph at Herstmonceux (E. Sussex). It was associated with a marked asthma outbreak - perhaps a combination of a high pollen count and the effects of the storm on pollen combined with pollution. As well as some notable gusts of wind, there were also some windless zones in the storms. The storm activity was preceded by rapid development of altocumulus castellanus on the night of the 23-24th

1995 Cool and cloudy first half, warm and sunny second half. Big temperature drop on the 30th as cold air plunge southwards. Earlier in the day temperatures widely exceeded 30C in the Midlands and south (33C in London and Worcestershire). The cold air caused a drop of as much as 20C in some places. Temperature drops of 15C in one or two hours were reported. Strangely, this cold plunge was accompanied by very little cloud and no rain. There was snow on the Scottish mountains, though. This month saw the highest temperature recorded in Belfast (29.0C on the 29th at Belfast Aldergrove Airport)

1996 A plume of hot air up from Spain gave a very hot first week - the earliest such hot spell since 1976. Temperatures were hot on the 5th and 6th; Atlantic fronts brought more cloud to parts on the 7th, although the SE remained sunny. 33.1C at St. James's Park, Westminster, London, on the 7th; a temperature this high so early in the year only happens a few times this century. The temperature has exceeded 32C (90F) on only four other occasions in the twentieth century (1950, 1947, 1944, and 1922). Rickmansworth recorded 29.4 on the 5th, 31.7 on the 6th, and 32.7 on the the 7th; 32C was widespread across the southeast on the 7th. That day Lerwick reached ... 8.6. As a cold front moved south in the evening on the 7th there were violent thunderstorms, particularly from Dorset through the East Midlands into East Anglia. There were 8 damaging hail swaths. 30mm hail, a tornado in Basingstoke and Sherborne, 73.9 mm of rain at Wantage, 30 mm widespread, squally winds, golfball-sized hail, lightning strikes causing power loss, and perhaps best of all, ball lightning in a factory in Tewkesbury, where it exploded with an orange flash, knocking out the switchboard ... The 7th was quite a day. A warm, dry, and very sunny month.

1997 The wettest June of the century (with an average of 133.7mm of rain). The month was cool as well. The month began with a few days of warm sunshine, ending in thunderstorms from the 5th on. An intense depression on the 19th to 22nd gave rise to rain and wind. It was also very wet from the 25th to 28th. This spell was also extremely cold, with maxima of just 9-11C over a wide area. The maximum was only 11C at Bristol on the 26th. Also on the 26th, 55 mm of rain fell in three hours at Bognor, leading to flooding. Storms late in the month killed many pigeons in a cross-channel race. There was snow in the Cairngorms on the 30th, with heavy rain at lower levels, leading to flooding in Elgin.

1998 Very wet (fifth wettest June of the century) and dull (with an average 4.54 hours per day). The temperature though was about average (14.2C CET). It was particularly wet in the SW. There was a severe thunderstorm in Reading in the afternoon of the 13th, accompanied by a damaging tornado.

1999 Average temperatures, but cool in northern Scotland. Some cool nights brought the average down a bit. As it was a thundery month there was a great deal of local variation in the rainfall; Heathrow had its wettest June for 19 years, but most of the rain fell just on the 2nd and 29th, with very little in between, while parts of the extreme southeast had a very dry month. Violent thunderstorms, with notable lightning displays, over much of the country on the night of the 26-27th.

2000 An active month: overall quite dry and warm (14th warmest this century, and the warmest since 1992; the driest for four years). The SE was particularly warm. There was some severe flooding in NE England at the start of the month, with Todmorden and Hebden Bridge aprticularly badly affected. Heavy prolonged rain gave 50-75 mm on the 2-3rd. Then another 50 mm or so fell in thunderstorms from the south at the end of this wet spell. The extra rain on top of saturated ground led to flooding. Severe gale midmonth, affecting Scotland on the 12-13th: gust of 83 mph on Stornoway. The pressure at the centre of the depression that caused this was 968 mb, the lowest June pressure in British waters since the D-day storm of 1944. Brief hot spell midmonth (17-19th): 32C in Leeds on the 18th; 32.8C at Colthishall (Norfolk) on the 19th was the hottest day of the year. The heat was accompanied by some very low relative humidities: 20% was widespread across the south on the 18th, with Brize Norton (Oxon.) recording 11.5%. Overall it was slightly less sunny than average, with Birmingham only getting 66% of the average.

2001 Cool first half in the south, warm second half; mostly cool all month in the north. The month had a cold start as Arctic air swept south, giving snow on the mountains of Scotland, settling above 1000 m. There were also some low temperatures and widespread ground frosts: -1.8C at Redhill (Surrey) early on the 9th, +0.3 and 0.4 C at Benson (Oxon) on the mornings of the 8th and 9th, and 3C at Hurn (Bournemouth) on the 9th. Dry but cloudy and cool first half. There were 54 mm of rain at Newquay on the 5th, with most of that in just three hours. There were some notable thunderstorms midmonth, with 58 mm at Leeming on the 15th (most of it in 3 hours), 4 cm hailstones in Luton, and 70 mm of rain at Coltishall (Norfolk), leading to flooding. There was a heatwave at the end, culminating in 32.2C (just 90F) at Northolt (London) on the 26th, and high temperatures widespread in the south. The minimum in Southampton on the night of the 25-26th was 21C (70F). There was a severe hailstorm in the evening of the 26th in west Kent; the streets looked as though they were covered in snow, and car bonnets were dented. Overall, slightly warmer than average in the SE, but slightly cooler in the NW. In England and Wales, it was the driest and sunniest June since 1996. It was however cloudier than average in the north.

2002 An average month overall. Unsettled, and dominated by low pressure. Very wet in the west and dry in the east. It was a very dull month in Glasgow and Edinburgh. There was a warm spell at the start (with 27C recorded in London on the 2nd, the highest at the beginning of June since 1997; there is a one in four chance of 80F reached being reached in the first week), followed by some violent thunderstorms. A slow-moving low led to low temperatures and rain in the E and SE, and very high temperatures in the far NW: it was 27.6C in Lochcarron (Wester Ross) on the 6th and on Skye on the 7th, but only 10.3C at Loftus (North Yorkshire) on the 5th. Even Shetland saw 22.1C. Meanwhile it was only 12C in parts of England. Thunderstorm in Chester and the WIrral led to flooding on the 14th, and at Leeming 25 mm of rain fell, mostly in one hour. A tornado hit Horsforth, Leeds, damaging houses and gardens. There was a mini-heatwave midmonth, with 29.3C recorded at Cottishall (Norfolk) on the 17th, and 30.1C at Kensington, also on the 17th. A dust devil disturbed Royal Ascot on the 20th. it was the wettest June in Glasgow since the start of the twentieth century.

2003 Exceptionally warm; also sunny and dry. With a CET of 16.1C, it was the warmest June since 1976 (and only 1970, 1950, and 1940 have been warmer in the last century); it was also the sunniest since 1996. Because of a few heavy rainfall events it was slightly wetter than usual in the south, and drier in the NE. It was consistently warmer than average because a persistent region of low pressure over the north Atlantic, leading to frequently southerly winds. In the south there were only two days when the temperature failed to exceed the expected average (and at Heathrow the maximum failed to reach 21C/70F on only one day), but there were only 6 days above 25C. The month started hot, with 26.1C at Lossiemouth, Moray. Thunderstorms during the night of the 1-2 led to local flooding: 60 mm fell at Hastings. The highest temperature was a maximum of 30.5C near Loughborough on the 22nd.

2004 Overall a warmer than average month. Average rainfall, with most of it in the last 10 days, in England and Wales; wet in Scotland. It was particularly wet in NE Scotland, with three times the average. First half dry, hot, and sunny in the south, unsettled in the north; changeable everywhere second half. Some hot spells at the start: 31.2C at Gravesend on the 8th. Then cool and unsettled. A low of 982 mbar on the 22nd was accompanied by gales and some heavy, persistent rain: more than 50 mm fell over the high ground of the west and north.

2005 Overall the month was very warm, in spite of a cold first half (the coldest such for 10 years). There were some notable violent thunderstorms at the end of the month. After a wet start an anticyclone gave some warm, sunny days in the second week, but with some night frosts, even in the south of England. The maximum pressure of 1039 mbars made was the highest for June since 1962. There was another short-lived heatwave near the end of the month, with 32.6C in London (Heathrow) on the 19th - the warmest June day there since 1976 (and with an unofficial 34.4C at Kensington). It was very humid, too. Flash-flooding followed very severe thunderstorms that night, with some large hail - in fact the most widespread occurrence of very large (>20 mm diameter) since 17 May 1997. There were some high minima too, with a minimum of 20C in London on the night of the 19-20th. There were some severe thunderstorms over the North York Moors on the afternoon of the 19th and during the night afterwards, with flash flooding in the Ryedale area around Helmsley and Thirsk, with the River Rye breaking its banks. It was said to be the worst natural disaster in North Yorkshire for 30 yearsRainfall in the UK overall during the month was variable, depending on where the thunderstorms hit. Overall it was quite dry in the south. There were more violent thunderstorms on the 29th, with 35 mm hailstones causing damage in Essex.

2006 Very warm - about the same as 2003, and one of the warmest since 1976. High pressure for the first half month, more changeable in the second half. Since 1976 only the Junes of 1995 and 1988 have been more anticyclonic. A warm, dry start, peaking at almost 31C at Weybourne (Norfolk) on the 11th, and then 31.4C at Heathrow 32.4C (just over 90F) in central London on the 12th. A heatwave builds again at the end of the month. There were some severe thunderstorms in Devon and Cornwall on the 26th, with flooding in Penzance following 82.1 mm of rain in 2 hours, most of it falling in the evening. The 9-9 total of 78.9 mm at Penzance was the second highest daily total since records began there in 1991. It was a very dry month, with virtually no rain in the first half of the month: an average of 27 mm (40% of average) made it the driest since 1995. It was the sunniest June since 1975 (averaging 259 hours, 32% more than average), and particularly sunny on the south coast.

2007 he first two weeks were dry, but from the 13th it was very wet, leading to some exceptionally severe flooding in places. Slightly warmer than average everywhere apart from the northeast coast. The highest temperature of the month was only 27.2 at Prestatyn on the 11th; it was -2.5C at Kinbrace on the 14th, and it only reached a maximum of 8.8C at Aviemore on the 25th. It was dull everywhere apart fromm some parts of the far NW; although it was the dullest June since only 1998 on average, it was particularly dull in the east. There were just 62 hours of sunshine at Edinburgh. It was sunnier in Aberdeen last December than this June. There was an average of 130 mm rain in England and Wales, making the wettest since 1997, although some parts of the far north and Orkney and Shetland were very dry. Wilsden (West Yorkshire) had 281 mm. Some places in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and record amounts of rain. The 15th was another very wet day, particularly in the Midlands, with many places seeing some inches. Parts of Yorkshire had around 72 mm, leading to serious flooding. The month will be most remembered for the flooding in many parts of Britain in the final weekend. The Sheffield area saw particularly devastating flooding around the 25th and 26th; the M1 was closed for a few days because of the fear of a dam bursting. The Meadowhall Shopping Centre was flooded.

2008 The temperatures were about average overall - but because recent Junes have been warm, this made it the coolest June since 1999. The warmest spell was the 8-10th, when it reached 26.9C at Lee-on-Solent on the 8th and St James Park (London) on the 9th. The lowest temperature was -2.3C at Tulloch Bridge on the morning of the 24th. Rainfall was about average in England and Wales (92%), although it was slightly wetter in Scotland (128%). There were some wet spells at the end of the month: 94 mm of rain fell at Capel Curig in Snowdonia on the 17th-18th, and 85 mm fell at Keswick on the 21-22nd. 77 mm fell at Ringstone Edge in West Yorkshire on the 26th, most of it 9 hours. It was slightly sunnier than average in England (114%); generally it was sunnier the further south you went: Guernsey airport had 308 hours.

2009 A mixed month. Overall quite easterly, particularly in the first ten days and final week. Overall slightly warmer, sunnier, and drier than average. There were some low temperatures at the end of the first week, with a maximum of just 6.4C at Copley (Durham) on the 5th, and a minimum of -2.7C at Kinbrace on the 7th. It was very wet in the SW around this time: 100 mm near Exeter on the 6th. Warm spell at end, with high temperatures widespread, including NW Scotland, Stornoway on Lewis seeing 22.3C on the 24th. There was a heatwave at the end, with Wisley (Surrey) recording 31.8C on the 30th. The east of Scotland suffered dreadfully from haar in most of this final warmth.

2010 Warm, dry, and sunny, except in the very far north. It made the top ten Junes of the last century, and was the warmest since the very hot June of 2006. Temperatures ranged from 30.9 at Swanscombe (Kent) on the 27th to -0.1C at Carter Bar in the Borders on the 19th. On the night of the 27-28th the temperature at Olympic Park in London didn't fall beneath 17.4C. England and Wales averaged 41.5, 60% of the 1970-2000 mean. Just 7.1 mm of rain fell at Rosehearty near Aberdeen. England and Wales average sunshine was 260 hours, 137% of average, making it the sunniest June since 1975. It was the third sunniest June since 1929 in SW England and S Wales. Jersey saw 317 hours.

2011 Although there were spells of hot weather right at the beginning and end of the month, overall June was somewhat cool and changeable, with an average just a little beneath the long-term - although this made it the coolest June since 1991 (although 1999 and 2008 were close). There was a warms spell at the start of the month. There was an impressive short-lived heat wave in the SE at the end of the month. 29.2C was reached in St James's Park, London, on Sunday 26th, and 33.3C at the East London Olympic Site closely followed by 33.1C at Gravesend on the 27th (the hottest day since 2006). The lowest minimum was -1.9C at Altnaharra on the morning of the 10th. The minimum at Benson (Oxfordshire) on the 26-27th didn't fall beneath 19.9C. It was quite wet, with an England and Wales rainfall average of 83 mm (122%), although it was wetter in the west and still quite dry in parts of the east. Scotland and Wales were also wetter than average. It was slightly sunnier than average in the south, 209 hours average being 110%. Sussex was the sunniest place and SW Scotland the least sunny.

2012 This month had very low average pressure; it was one of the three most cyclonic Junes on record. One of the coldest, wettest, and dullest Junes on record. It was the coldest June since 1991. The highest maximum of the month was 28.6C at Swanscombe (Kent) on the 28th in a brief warm spell at the end of the month. There was dramatic thunderstorm activity as the heat broke down on the 28th; a record 64,000 lightning strokes were recorded across the UK. There were power cuts in the NE. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee was something of a washout, with a storm uprooting trees and bringing down power lines on the 7th. The minimum at Loch Glascarnoch on the 5th was -3.5C. At Emley Moor (West Yorkshire) the maximum on the 3rd was only 6.5C. Rainfall average was 157.3 mm, 231% of average, making it the equal record wettest June with 1860. Sunshine average was just 123 hours, 64% of average, the dullest June since 1990. The sunniest place was Tiree with 167 hours; Derby saw just 69 hours and Nottingham only 72.

2013 Dry but in other ways unremarkable. Temperatures were about average, with a maximum of 26.4C at Herstmonceux (East Sussex) on the 19th and 27.2C at Heathrow on the 29th. There was a minimum of -1.1C at Tulloch Bridge on the 1st. Average England and Wales rainfall was 39.0 mm (57%), making it the driest June month since 2006. It was particularly dry in parts of the east. Sunshine averaged 100% of the long-term mean.

2014 Quite warm and dry, and the sunniest since 2010. The highest temperature was 26.5C at Strathallan (Perthshire) on the 18th; the coldest 1.0C at Laka Bala early on the 6th. Total rain was 50.1 mm (75% average). The highest rainfall of the month was the 28th, when 57.0 mm fell at Boughton-under-Blean in Kent in a five-hour thunderstorm. It was wetter than average in parts of east Scotland, and wetter in the SW. England and Wales sunshine was 227 hours (117 hours). Lerwick only saw 68 hours (lower than in March, April, or May).

2015 Temperatures overall were about average, but it was a dry month, with just 56% of the long-term average rainfall. There was low pressure at the start of the month, so it was unsettled and windy. There were warm spells from the 4th to the 13th and in the final week. The highest temperature of the month was 32.5C at Heathrow on 30th, and the lowest -1.9C at Resallach (Sutherland) on the 14th). It was quite a sunny month, with 125% of average sunshine. Only 7.8 mm of rain fell at Northolt (London) all month.

2016 Wet, dull, and quite warm. The first half was more settled and relatively warm. The night of the 22-23 June saw severe thunderstorms with flooding in the SE, particularly in the London area. Farnborough recorded 45.0 mm overnight. The end of the month was cool and unsettled. The average temperature was brought up by some mild nights; the highest temperature of the month was only 27.8C, Porthmadog. Rainfall overall was 144% (95 mm), with a lot of it occurring towards the end of the month. It was particularly wet in the east. There was only 74% of sunshine (137 hours), although Anglesey and some of the western islands recorded above average: Shetland saw 200 hours.

2017 A June that was very different depending on where you were. In the north of Britain it was rather cool, very wet, and rather dull; in the south and east it was very warm, quite dry, and quite sunny. Overall the CET was 16.0C, making it the warmest June in the series since 1976 - but bear in mind that this average hides the regional variation. The month started and ended with unsettled spells. There was a notable heatwave in the middle of the month. The month was quite warm, with 24.3C recorded at London Heathrow on Friday 16th. There then followed a spell of five consecutive days where 30C was recorded somewhere in England, the first time this has happened since 1996: Saturday 17th 30.2C (Teddington), Sunday 18th 32.1C (Hampton), Monday 19th 32.5C (Hampton), Tuesday 20th 31.4C (Wisley), Wednesday 21st 34.5C (Heathrow). The Wednesday high of 34.5C is the highest in June since 1976 (35.6C at Southampton on the 28th). It was much cooler on Thursday 22nd, after a cold front swept south, with a national maximum of "only" 27.2C at Manston (Kent). The lowest temperature of the month was -2.3C at Altnaharra on the 2nd. It was very wet in the north and east, and particularly wet in the Edinburgh region, with 200% of the monthly rainfall there. There were thundery downpours in the SE at the end of the month, with Santon Downham in Norfolk recording 85 mm in 24 hours on the 27th. Although sunshine was close to average overall in England, Scotland only saw 74% of the expected average. So, overall, a very memorable weather month.

2018 Very warm and dry; in some areas the warmest and driest on record. It was the warmest June on record for Northern Ireland. There was a notable heatwave late on, with 30.0C recorded at St James Park in London on the 25th; 30.7 at Rostherne in Cheshere on the 26th; 31.3 at Aviemore on the 27th; 31.9 at Glasgow Bishopton on the 28th. There were some very high temperatures across the north and west on the 28th, with temperatures just above 31C recorded at Aviemore, and over 30C at Castlederg (Northern Ireland) and Trawscoed (Wales), including 30.5 deg. C. at both Thomastown and Derrylin Cornahoule, both Co. Fermanagh, on 28th June;. A provisional figure of 33.2C from near Motherwell was for a short time the new record high for Scotland, beating the August 2003 record; it was later found possibly to be affected by a car parked near by, so the 2003 record stands. It was the fourth sunniest June on record (with 142%, behind 157, 1940, and 1975, since 1929). It was very dry, particularly in the south and southeast, with 48% of average for the UK, and even drier in England and Wales. Essex had 1.7 mm of rain Dorset 2.0 mm, and Middlesex just 0.7 mm. A CET of 16.1 makes June equal with 2003 but behind 1950 (16.2), 1940 and 1970 (16.4) and well behind 1976 (17.0). East coasts were often cooler due to onshore winds and the position of the anticyclone. The highest temperature of the month was 33.0C at Porthmadog on the 29th. Thunderstorms broke out across the country in the final week. There was a severe wild fire at Saddleworth Moor, between Manchester and Sheffield, which broke out on the 26th.

2019 Record-breakingly hot in Europe, but changeable here. Overall the mean temperature was close to average. After a warm start it turned cool and wet, very eat in Lincolnshire, particularly between the 10th and 13th, with cool NE winds, causing local flooding. 74.6 mm rain fell at Wainfleet (Lincs.) on the 10-11th. The final third of the month was warmer and more humid, with some thunder. The 29th (extremely hot in Europe with a Saharan plume) was very hot. Sunshine was 95% of average, dull in the Midlands and West, but sunnier than average in eastern Scotland and the north of England. The highest temoerature of the month was 34.0C at Heathrow and Northolt (London) on the 29th.

2020 After the fine May June soon become unsettled. There was a late heatwave: 32.6C recorded at Heathrow on the 24th, and 33.4 there on the 25th, followed by a thundery breakdown. Overall it was slightly warmer than average, and it was much wetter than a typical June, with 144%. Sunshine was close to average, although it was quite dull in the west and central and eastern Scotland. In the 24 hours up to 9 am GMT on the 29th, 212.8 mm of rain fell at Honister Pass in Cumbria - this is a new 24 hour record for June. The temperature didn't fall beneath 20C at Gosport and Hastings on the south coast on June 25th, a rare example of what is called a "tropical night". The lowest temperature of the month was -1.9C at Tulloch Bridge on the 8th.

2021 After a miserable May, June 2021 in contrast began warm, dry and sunny, with 28.3C recorded at Northolt (north London) on the 2nd, before it turned somewhat cooler. It reached 29.7C at Teddington (London) on the 14th. The second half was cooler and unsetteld, with some heavy thunderstorms in the southeast. Overall it was nationally slightly warmer than average. It was dry in the north, with a third of the rainfall in parts, but very wet in the southeast, with double the average rainfall, giving an overall UK average of 59%. Overall there was 107% of sunshine, although it was more cloudy in parts of the west. The lowest temperature of the month was -2.4C at Altnaharra on the 22nd. 74.0 mm of rain fell at Princetown in Devon on the rain day ending on the 28th. Meanwhile, in an extraordinary heatwave in the NW of America, 49.6C was reported in the town of Lytton, British Columbia, not far from Vancouver in Canada; the town was destroyed in a forest fire the next day.

2022 Quite warm and dry, and sunny in the north. There was a notable if brief early heatwave, with three days of heat peaking with 32.7 ºC at Santon Downham in Suffolk on the 17th, the warmest day of the year so dar. The heat didn't reach Scotland. Overall rainfall was 76% of average; it was particularly dry in the east. Sunshine was 114% of average. The lowest temperature of the month was -1.5 at Altnharra on the 2nd.

2023 By any measure June 2023 was the warmest since reliable records began (in 1659 for the CET, Central England Temperature series). With a CET of 17.0, it just pipped 1976, which although had some very hot days in the south at the end, couldn't match the uniform warmth across the country we had in 2023 (with maxima over 25 for a fortnight, with warm, humid nights). It was also the warmest June across the UK (in a series starting in 1884, a massive +0.9 above 1940 and 1976, now joint second), and separately the record warmest for all of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The average monthly maximum of 22.6C was also a new record. After a dry start to the month, thunderstorms heralded a plume of very warm, humid air spreading across the UK, but particularly, as usual, the south and east. It reached 32.2C, the hottest day of the year so far, in Chertsey (Surrey) on 10 June. There was another hot spell at the end of the month, with 32.2 again recorded, at Coningsby (Lincs.), although the very last day was cool, a sign of a change to come. It was a dry month: rainfall overall was 68% of average, with East Anglia being particularly dry, although it slightly wetter than average in parts of the Midlands and NW. It was a very sunny monthe everywhere, especially in the north and west (144%), making it the fourth sunniest since reliable records begain in 1910, and the sunniest June since 1957. The coldest reading of the month was -2.6C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the 2nd (not unusual for June). It was also the warmest June across the Earth, beating June 2019. Some weather trivia: on the 13th, it reached 30.8C at Porthmadog - the first time the 13th has seen a temperature over 30C; remarkable because it is the only meteorologically summer date not to have done this before.

2024  A cool month overall. With a CET of 14.0C it was the coldest since 2015. It was also the first time since last July that a month was much cooler than average. Most extraordinary, May was warmer than June for the first time since the CET began in 1659. It was particularly cool until the final week, with frequent N and NW winds bringing incursions of Arctic air. For the UK as a whole the average temperature was 0.4C beneath average. There was then a short-lived hot spell - and very short-lived in the north. It was 30.0 C at Chertsey Abbey Mead (Surrey) and Heathrow on the 25th, and 30.5 at Wisley (Surrey) on the 26th, although the temperatures then returned to average or below. It was though a relatively dry month, with 71% of the expected rainfall across the UK around and half for England and Wales. It was slightly sunnier than average (UK 178.8 hours, 104%), although Northern Ireland was dull (75%). The lowest temperature of the month was -1.6 at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the 13th.

June in history

1195 The earliest known account of ball lightning in England, near London, made by the Benedictine monk Gervase of Christ Church Cathedral Priory, Canterbury, talking about a spherical shape and fiery globe.

1561 The original spire to St Paul's (nearly 500' high) collapses after being struck by lightning on the 4th.

1626 During a great electrical storm on the 12th a strange mist was observed above the Thames.

1652 On the 20th, 11 people were killed by lightning in Cheshire - perhaps by ball lightning.

1666 A hot and dry summer following a dry winter. Samuel Pepys said that the 7th of June was "the hottest that I have ever felt in my life". The prolonged drought set the conditions for the Great Fire of London in September.

1675 The coldest on record (11.5). June 1675 remains the coolest June on record at 11.5°C (1.5°C cooler than an average September and cooler than the recent April of 2011).

1676 After the coldest on record, the second warmest on record (approximately 18C). In fact  June 1676 was the hottest month until July 1701.

1749 One of the coldest on record (11.9C CET) before this century. Snow was reported on the Pennines on 13 June, and severe frost were reported as being widespread on 16 June.

1764 On 18 June a violent thunderstorm, with many lightning strikes on churches, bringing down steeples such as St Bride's Church on Fleet Street. The original church, Norman based on sixth century Saxon foundations, was destroyed by the Great Fire of Londond and replaced by one designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Its spire was famous and originally 234' high, but it lost the top 8' after the strike. After this storm the use of lightning rod conductors on church steepls became widespread.

1783 A volcanic eruption at Laki, Iceland, deposited 200 square miles of lava, and was accompanied by sulphurous emissions that led to pronounced cooling. A "Laki haze", accompanied by acid rain that withered crops, spread across Europe. After a hot promising start, with a very hot July, a miserable late summer and severe winter followed . It is estimated that tens of thousands of people died in Britain alone as a result of respiratory problems following the eruption (one figure widely reported is 23,000).

1791 After a hot start in the month, snow was reported on the high ground of Sussex on the 12th in addition to lying across much of the country to the north, particularly in the Lake District.

1815 The weather was wet for the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, with the French guns getting bogged down in mud. The weather, as in 1812 and 1941, has a major effect on hustory. This month was towards the end of the Little Ice Age, and the summer was poor following the eruption of Mt . Tambora in April

1816 Cold (12.8), and with a very cold July and August following, part of the "year without a summer". This is blamed on the eruption in April 1815 of Mt. Tambora in the East Indies putting a large amount of volcanic ash into the atmosphere. The volcanic explosion killed 50,000 people and wiped out a language (Tambora). The gloomy weather created just the right conditions for Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein. (See Simon Winchester's book "Krakatoa" for more information.)

1822 Very warm, at 17.1.

1826 Part of a very fine summer - they did happen, even in the middle of the Little Ice Age. It was the warmest summer between 1676 and 1976. At 17.3 ºC it was the third warmest June on record (aftger 184) - warmer even than June 1976.

1846 The warmest on record: 18.2C. For a full week June 1846 was on track to surpass July 1783 as the hottest of any month in the CET series, extraordinary give June is cooler than July and Augist. The summer of 1846 continued fairly hot , though it became very stormy after the very hot spell.

1852 Extremely wet.

1858 A hot month resulting in "The Great Stink" in London. It is said that temperatures reached 36 C. There was a "meteotsunami" on 5 June in the North Sea in thunderstorms, caused by rapid changes in air pressure.

1860 The wettest on record, with 150mm of rain.

1869 There was a notable widespread snowfall on 16 June across the northern hills. Snowdrifts four feet deep were claimed in the Lake District. In some areas snow lay on the ground to the 26th.

1879 Extremely wet.

1886 Dry.

1887 Very warm, dry, and sunny, with low humidity, and few thunderstorms. It was particularly dry in the east of England, where in places there was less than 10% of the average rainfall. It was very hot in Ireland, with the area no corresponding to Northern Ireland being warmer than England and Wales. The highest temperature ever recorded on the island was 33.3C at Kilkenny Castle on 26th

1889 Eight exceptional hailstorms on the 2nd. On the 16th there was a significant snowfall across the high ground of north England and Scotland, with some snow lying for more than a week.

1893 32.2C (90F) recorded at Ochtertyre (Tayside) on the 18th. A great drought continues in the south.

1897 The 24th was Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It was hot (about 32C), sunny, and humid. "Ladies fainted" during the royal procession. There were some violent thunderstorms the next day in south-east England. A storm travelled 71 miles from Slough to Colchester producing devastation. Storms produced hail "as large as hens' eggs", disrupting celebrations in Chelmsford. At Marlow a tornado caused much damage, and flooding was 2' deep. Parts of the church steeple fell off, and crops were devastated. Birds lay dead afterwards.