Met Office: June was warmer and sunnier than average – despite downpours

Most of the UK had a warmer and sunnier than average June despite some areas seeing heavy and thundery downpours, forecasters have said.

The Met Office said that the mean temperature for June was 14.2C, more than 1C warmer than the long-term average for the UK.

Each nation of the UK was above the average for their temperature figures for the month, with the mercury particular high overnight, it added.

England saw its joint, second-highest, average minimum temperature in June since records began in 1884 at 10.7C, the Met Office said.

But the Met Office said that from the middle of June the weather became more unsettled and often stormy with southern areas, particularly the southeast, seeing the heaviest rain.

London had double the amount of rain it would normally expect in June at 97.1mm, while parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight had more than three times their average rainfall for the month.

The Met Office said that England had 77% of its average rainfall for the month at 47.8mm, but this was mainly due to the south seeing 105% of its monthly average rainfall – 59.4mm.

Northern England had just 36% (25.7mm) of its expected rain, while Scotland saw 44% at 39.2mm, Northern Ireland 52% at 39.3mm and Wales 37% at 32.1mm.

But the Met Office said despite the above-average rainfall, the number of wet days in south-east England was close to the average, while northern England, Wales and Scotland had fewer days of rain than expected.

Hours of sunshine across the UK were close to or above average for most regions, the Met Office said, with a few duller areas in the west.

Northern Ireland was the only country not to reach its June average with 144.8 sunshine hours (96%), it added.

Dr Mark McCarthy, scientific manager of the National Climate Information Centre, said: “June has been warmer and sunnier than average for most of the country, with minimum temperatures being notably high as nights have remained fairly warm.

“High pressure was the dominant feature throughout the first part of the month, with temperatures regularly in the upper 20s and particularly warm in the southeast.

“However, there was a shift in the weather in the middle of the month for southern England which was regularly subject to outbreaks of heavy, and often thundery, rain.

“Northern England and Scotland, however, largely held on to warm, sunny weather, albeit with showery rain threatening sometimes.

“Resulting in a sharp contrast in the rainfall statistics across the country.”