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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 606       For     JUNE    2006
       WARMEST SINCE 1976, DRIEST SINCE 1995, AND SUNNIEST SINCE 1996
Text Box: Mean monthly sea-level pressure was above normal over most of Europe including the British Isles. The first half of the month was very anticyclonic, and although the second half was rather more changeable there was no extended spell of cyclonic or westerly weather. In the last 30 years only the Junes of 1995 and 1988 were more anticyclonic. High pressure lay over the UK until the 9th and to the east of the country from the 10th-12th; it then returned to the UK as a weakening feature from the 13th-17th. A weak front gave eastern England a grey, damp day on the 1st, and there was some rain in the Western Isles on the 2nd and 3rd, but broadly-speaking the first ten days of June were dry, sunny and warm with only very isolated thundery showers. Sunshine totals for this period exceeded 135 hours in southwest Wales and the West Country and 140 hours in the Channel Islands. Maxima of 24-28°C occurred widely from the 4th onwards. The 11th and 12th were the hottest days of the month with 31.4°C at Heathrow airport on the latter afternoon, while during the intervening night a notably high minimum of 19.9°C was logged at St James’s Park (London). However, thunderstorms broke out in many western and central districts, with local flooding reported from south Devon and golf-ball sized hail from Coventry on the 12th, further storms broke out across central and eastern counties on the 13th, and prolonged steady rain affected Essex, Kent and Sussex on the 14th. Showers on the 16th ended a period of 18 consecutive days with no significant rain in Northern Ireland. Elsewhere, most places became dry and warm again for a few days, the temperature reaching 28°C in the London area on the afternoon of the 17th. Text Box: A low pressure centre crossed Scotland on the 19th, and a further, more vigorous, depression moved slowly eastwards to the north of Scottish mainland between the 20th and 22nd, its central pressure dropping to 976mbar. It became cooler, windier and more changeable in all regions, and on the 21st gusts over 50kn were recorded in many parts of Scotland. A slack pressure gradient covered the country between the 23rd and 25th and it became warm and thundery again in southern regions and an impressive funnel cloud was observed on Dartmoor on the latter date, but Scotland turned cool and sunny. The 26th was rather cool everywhere, and storms deposited 82mm of rain in Penzance resulting in local flooding; meanwhile, the temperature dropped to –1.7°C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) early on the 26th, and Tiree (Inner Hebrides) recorded 47 hours of sunshine in three days to the 27th. A sluggish southerly airflow brought progressively higher temperatures during the closing days of the month, with 29.1°C logged at Heathrow on the 30th. Mean temperature anomaly ranged from +1degC in northern and western Scotland to +2.5degC in the Midlands, making it widely the warmest June since 1976, although 2003 was about as warm. It was the driest June over England and Wales since 1995 and at a local level for much longer, and only 3mm fell during the entire month at St Catherine’s Point (Isle of Wight) and 4mm at Benson (Oxon). Sunshine duration, averaged over England and Wales, was the highest in June since 1996; some large totals were obtained on the English Channel coast including 321 hours at Shanklin (Isle of Wight) and 317 hours at Eastbourne (Sussex).
                                                                                                                                         
                       TEMPERATURE                                SUNSHINE                             RAINFALL        
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                          Highest and lowest totals                     Highest and lowest totals        
                                              on record for month    
Maximum fall in 24 hrs (beginning 09 h)
                    on record for month    
Days with snow or sleet
 
Days with fog (Vis <220 yards at 09 h)
 
                                                                                         
     
Difference from average
   
Difference from average
 
Highest maximum
   
Lowest minimum
   
No. of days with grass minimum below 0şC
   
Days of no sunshine
 
Maximum duration
       
First year of record
         
Days of no rainfall (0.1 mm or less)
         
First year of record
         
Days with thunder
     
       PLACE  
Mean Maximum
   
Mean minimum
             
No. of air frosts
       
Total for month
                   
Total for month
                   
                               
% of average
                   
% of average
                 
                                                                     
                                   
Highest
   
Lowest
 
Year
             
Highest
   
Lowest
 
Year
       
             
Date
   
Date
         
Date
         
Year
         
Date
         
Year
           
                                                                     
      şC       şC       şC       şC             Hrs       Hrs         Hrs       Hrs       mm       mm         mm     mm          
                                                                                                                                         
  *Hampstead   22.7   +3.7   12.0   +2.1   31.1   12   05.9   01   00   00   00   12.7   10   229   126   1910   284   1957   121   1923   23   09.0   13   024   045   1910   136   1971   03   1925   01   00   00  
  Thorney Island   20.5   +1.0   11.7   +1.2   24.6   10   06.0   01   01   00   02   14.1   11   240   102   1958   311   1975   138   1990   22   05.6   26   010   025   1941   111   1971   06   1976   00   00   00  
  *Wattisham   20.6   +2.0   10.8   +1.9   27.1   11   02.4   01   01   00   02   14.9   11   233   118   1968   283   1989   141   1987   21   12.2   25   023   044   1964   125   1980   07   1976   01   00   00  
  *Wittering   21.3   +3.2   10.9   +1.1   29.0   12   05.6   01   00   00   01   15.0   11   186   091   1955   284   1976   096   1987   22   02.6   26   008   016   1955   153   1982   03   1962   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  Lyneham   21.6   +3.1   11.4   +2.1   27.8   10   04.9   01   00   00   02   15.5   04   280   136   1952   306   1957   113   1997   22   09.4   26   023   039   1945   145   1971   03   1962   02   00   00  
  Ross-on-Wye   22.6   +3.8   11.5   +1.7   29.0   10   05.0   01   00   00   02   14.6   04   252   131   1915   318   1925   117   1990   20   06.3   26   019   037   1859   165   1982   00   1925   01   00   00  
  *St Athan   20.1   +2.4   12.0   +2.0   25.4   10   05.3   01   00   00   01   14.8   04   248   116   1954   323   1957   140   1972   25   25.6   25   040   066   1954   151   1954   05   1975   00   00   00  
  St Mawgan   18.9   +2.3   12.2   +1.7   24.0   09   07.1   01   00   00   02   15.3   03   276   128   1945   310   1975   133   1997   22   06.2   25   020   035   1944   130   1997   08   1962   01   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Edgbaston   21.3   +2.8   12.6   +2.3   27.8   10   07.4   01   00   00   00   15.0   04   213   113   1887   283   1957   095   1923   24   02.2   13   008   015   1887   144   1998   04   1942   02   00   00  
  *Valley   18.2   +1.6   11.9   +1.8   28.2   10   07.5   02   00   00   03   15.1   09   219   101   1946   305   1975   134   1987   19   09.6   11   026   050   1941   112   1998   01   1942   00   00   00  
  *Woodford   20.7   +2.7   10.6   +1.8   26.9   11   04.8   01   00   00   00   14.9   04   210   111   1945   285   1957   103   1987   22   06.8   20   017   028   1942   174   1987   12   1942   01   00   00  
  *Watnall   21.3   +3.2   11.5   +1.7   27.4   10   06.3   01   01   00   02   14.8   04   161   079   1948   261   1960   103   1987   21   04.0   13   011   023   1942   164   1982   08   1975   01   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Leeming   20.7   +2.7   10.0   +1.0   27.0   11   05.0   01   00   00   01   14.8   04   174   099   1945   298   1957   092   1987   22   04.0   24   012   028   1947   148   1982   09   1976   01   00   00  
  *Boulmer   17.0   +1.2   09.6   +1.2   24.8   12   05.8   01   00   00   02   13.2   07   155   088   1945   261   1957   127   1982   19   04.6   17   013   026   1945   146   1997   09   1976   00   00   00  
  *Eskdalemuir   18.0   +1.7   08.3   +1.5   24.9   09   01.9   14   02   00   01   14.5   11   151   092   1911   276   1957   082   1912   15   21.2   20   066   069   1911   260   1931   13   1992   00   00   00  
  *Bishopton   18.9   +1.3   09.5   +0.9   27.0   10   06.6   26   00   00   01   12.4   26   171   092   1921   279   1995   089   1966   20   27.4   20   065   113   1921   131   2002   10   1988   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Leuchars   18.8   +2.2   09.8   +1.5   25.8   06   05.9   26   02   00   01   15.2   26   193   100   1922   264   1949   104   1982   19   12.8   11   035   077   1922   115   1931   07   1940   00   00   00  
  *Dyce   17.3   +1.3   10.0   +2.2   23.0   11   03.9   27   02   00   01   13.2   16   135   077   1941   245   1970   095   1966   17   06.0   24   027   051   1941   146   1997   14   1982   00   00   00  
  *Stornoway   15.6   +1.3   09.5   +1.4   23.6   10   05.2   26   00   00   03   15.9   10   127   072   1880   278   1970   072   1984   13   10.6   20   057   085   1943   112   1994   15   1982   00   00   00  
  *Aldergrove   18.9   +1.7   10.3   +1.3   24.9   06   04.3   25   00   00   03   15.6   10   172   096   1927   287   1957   103   1980   18   07.4   17   026   039   1927   129   1980   11   1941   00   00   00  
                                                                     
                                                                                                                                         
  Stations marked with an asterisk record sunshine electronically; comparisons      
  with earlier records are therefore somewhat speculative. Thorney Island's      
  sunshine figures are from a nearby site.