Summary: CET temperature 17.3C or 0.7C above average; rainfall 85% and sunshine 105%*
*The average July CET 1971-2000 was 16.5C, last July
16.2C, 2007 15.2C.
Issued: 30th June 2009 1000Z
Monthly summary for June
June was a rather varied month in respect of its weather; it started very warm
then became cool and locally cold but ended very warm or hot again but overall temperatures ended nearly a degree above
average though across England and Wales. Whilst it started sunny and warm in a week which saw 25C reached every day (with
26C reached as far apart as Glasgow and Bournemouth) colder weather moved south by the 5th & June snow
fell in a few places across the north; it was reported at Alston in the NE Pennines, also in
Weardale, Upper Teesdale. By the 6th a band of heavy rain became established across south-east Wales, the south
and east Midlands and across to northern England and heavy thunderstorms affected the Exeter area, with 27mm recorded
between 08-09Z and 93mm from 07-20Z . Parts of south Devon and south Wales valley along with Cardiff saw flooding.
It slowly became warmer but still unsettled. June 15th was a very thundery day for many parts as an area of
slow moving low pressure sat across eastern England. Funnel cloud & tornado development transpired across many
parts with some short-lived weak tornado's developing too. Many areas saw local flooding for a time especially Strood
in the Medway, and Ringstead, Hunstanton, Heacham, Watton, & Sedgeford in Norfolk. Parts of Essex and Suffolk
saw more than half the rainfall of an average June in less then five hours; Ipswich was particularly hard hit with 30mm of
rain falling onto the town. As it warmed up the last week saw further storms develop and on the 26th as Heathrow Airport
reached 28.0C a thundery trough moved slowly north overnight across the south west and southern coastal areas there
was a lot of heavy rain locally, Bournemouth reported 27mm in a few hours. The highest temperatures of the month were
reported at the very end, Wisley (Kent) reached 31.3C on the 29th and similar figures were reported on the 30th.
.
Until the 10th it was quite wet generally but after that drier apart from the locally high
totals in storms, ending with around 80% of the average, East Anglia & the SE seeing yet another drier than average month
with about 60% of average, though the Midlands saw slightly above average, in part due to localised storm totals. Sunshine
was above average everywhere and Northern Ireland did particularly well with 165% of average as did NW Scotland in part due
to the location of high pressure in the last half of the month, although the Midlands was only just above average. Winds
were quite gently most of the time though there were some breezy NE'ly winds affecting east coasts at times and plagueing
them with sea haar too.
Soil temperatures are near or slightly above
average around the UK more especially in the east and SE & sea temperatures
remained above average around most parts but especially around the northern North Sea, where they are locally some 2C
above average but surprisingly the Irish Sea alone remained slightly cooler than average though not by much. The
whole of western Europe's sea area is seeing positive anomalies now. The sea temperature gradient is now above
average to the NW of the UK around 57N but below average around 38N tending to potentially enhance cyclonic
development from the far south west, west of Iberia.
Summary for July
Although a warm or locally or hot airmass will stagnate
over the UK in the first few days this seems likely to be swept away east quickly by the 4th as a much more changable pattern
develops and fresher and quite cool northwesterly winds cover the UK, this persisting well into the second week or even beyond. After
a few thundery showers outbreaks of showery rain developing and this continuing through the first and
second weeks for many parts with plenty of cloud about and showers
or showery rain developing fairly readily until the 7th. The second week also looks like staying fairly cool or average at best
and rather unsettled with areas of low pressure dominating to the west and a W or SW'ly or cyclonic
flow over most parts, though the east may stay drier and somewhat warmer later on. Nights rather chilly if skies clear
with a touch of ground frost in places. As pressure tends
to rise by the end of the second week it seems
that warmer air may move up from the continent again, allowing temperatures back to near or slightly above normal across
the south & east but with low pressure to the west and SW there will likely be more in the way
of cloud and some showery rain here. Initially in week three still
somewhat unsettled in the west & north but becoming drier and sunnier by day with high pressure to
the east and low pressure to the west or SW; However, the
last ten days of July look as though it may become quite settled again as high pressure moves back in from
the west and it becomes warmer again in most parts. The NW more unsettled initially and the SW may see more in the way of showery & possibly thundery rain
pushing in at times through the end of the month, pressure may fall here for a while as a thundery low moves across the south
or SE.
Temperatures in the month will be near average overall after
a chillier period from the 4th through the second week, especially in the north. There may be some chilly nights
with local ground frost pockets in N England & Scotland in this period. After mid month the south may
be warm at times but the north always somewhat fresher and so staying nearer average overall here until the last week. Sunshine will be mainly near or a little below average generally at first but especially across western parts,
the south east doing best. After mid month the west and SW perhaps nearer to average overall whilst the east is
slightly above average. Rainfall generally near average for most parts though the SW &
Wales may be above average with locally heavy outbreaks at times and some flooding; the east & NE initially near or still
slightly below average (there may be isolated pockets of higher totals due to storms) but below average
in the second half especially across East Anglia.
Sea temperatures remaining about a
degree or so above average for much of the UK & nearer or slightly below average in Irish
Sea; soil temperatures will tend to be a little above average for most parts, less so in the west but nearer average
in the west and north west with soil moisture near average generally but remaining rather below average for some areas
in the SE and east especially parts of East Anglia
