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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 630       For     JUNE    2008
COOLEST JUNE SINCE 1999; RATHER WET IN THE NORTH AND WEST BUT DRY AND QUITE SUNNY IN THE SOUTH
Text Box: There was no dominant weather type during June 2008; the month began with a period of rather cyclonic weather, succeeded by short anticyclonic, northerly, cyclonic again, and southwesterly spells. Overall, mean sea-level pressure was slightly below normal - by 0 to 3 mbar - over the British Isles and the anomalous flow over the UK was very weakly westerly. The main feature of the pressure anomaly field in the Atlantic/Europe sector was a continued large positive anomaly over Greenland. Slow-moving shallow depressions beneath a broad upper trough prevailed throughout the first week, maintaining unsettled weather with variable temperatures. The 1st was cold and wet in Scotland and northeast England - a high of just 9.9°C at Carter Bar (Roxburghshire) - and rain fell widely and heavily on the 2nd and 3rd leading to local flooding, notably in Oxfordshire where 48mm fell in 48h at both Benson and Charlbury. Northern Ireland, west Wales, Cornwall and Devon were notably wet on the 4th and 5th, and there was further rain in East Anglia and Kent on the 6th. Manston (Kent) collected 166mm of rain in the two weeks ending on the 6th. High pressure took over between the 7th and 10th, and it became fine and very warm with 25°C widely reached, and 26.9°C was recorded at Lee-on-Solent (Hants) on the 8th and at St James’s Park (London) on the 9th. The anticyclone retreated to mid-Atlantic from the 11th-16th allowing a decidedly cool northerly flow to develop over the UK. Showery rain fell frequently in Scotland, and elsewhere in the UK on the 11th, but there were some good sunny periods too. Ground frosts occurred at night, and the air minimum dropped to -0.5°C at Sennybridge (Powys) overnight 15th/16th, while maxima were typically 16-20°C over England and Wales and 12-16°C over Scotland and Northern Ireland. Lerwick (Shetland) climbed no higher than 9.7°C on the 13th. Text Box: From the 17th until the 29th a series of active depressions tracked northeastwards across Ireland and Scotland. Prolonged heavy rain affected many western and northern districts at times, but southern England, the south Midlands and East Anglia escaped much of the rain and enjoyed a good deal of sunshine, although most days remained rather cool. On the 17th-18th, 94mm of rain fell in 48h at Capel Curig (Snowdonia), with 50mm at Keswick and at St Bees Head (both Cumbria); on the 21st-22nd, 85mm fell at Keswick and 66mm at Eskdalemuir (Dumfriesshire); and on the 26th, 77mm of rain was recorded in less than 12h at Ringstone Edge reservoir (above Huddersfield) with 67mm at Blackstone Edge reservoir (above Rochdale). It was also very windy over much of England and Wales on the 22nd, with gusts to 55kn at Loftus (N.Yorks), Squires Gate (Lancs) and Wittering (Cambs). It was particularly cool in northern Scotland between the 22nd and 24th: Loch Glascarnoch (Wester Ross) had a high of just 8.5°C on the 22nd, while Tulloch Bridge logged a minimum of -2.3°C early on the 24th. The last day of the month was mostly dry with sunny periods thanks to a developing ridge of high pressure. Mean monthly temperature was within 1 degC of the long-term average in all regions, but because of the consistent warmth of recent Junes this made it the coolest, averaged nationally, since 1999. Rainfall was well above normal over much of Scotland, northwest England, and north Wales, but below normal in southern England, south Wales and the south Midlands. Percentages ranged from 200-250 locally in Cumbria and the Scottish Borders to 40 along the Channel coast. Monthly totals varied between 233mm at Capel Curig and 18mm at St Catherine’s Point (Isle of Wight). Sunshine duration was well below normal in northern Scotland, but significantly above in most southern districts; monthly aggregates ranged from 95h at Lerwick (Shetland) to 308h at Guernsey airport.