Monthly retrospective for June 2016

It was another month that was slightly above average temperature wise but rainfall was again very variable due to the showery nature of the precipitation although very wet in places, and sunshine was below average almost everywhere away from the far north.

The (Hadley) CET mean temperature was near 15.2C, about 1.1C above average. Whilst a few places were very close to average many parts were over a degree above average, and a few parts of north & NE Wales were nearly 2C above. The pressure was near average right across the northern UK but a few millibars below in the south.

The warmest mean maximum was at Pershore (Worcs) with 19.6C and surprisingly the highest daily maximum was 27.8C at Porthmadog (Gwynedd).
The coldest mean minimum was at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire) with 7.8C, the coldest absolute minimum by night was at Resallach, of -0.1C in the Scottish Highlands with -3C on the grass at Tulloch Bridge (Highlands) and Leuchars (Fife).

June was both a dry and wet month in places, mainly drier than average in the far north and NE; Kirkwall (Orkney Isles) saw just 18% of its long term average Parts of the south & east were very wet indeed though Shoeburyness (Essex) saw 319% of its long term average. The far SW was again a dry exception though, Scilly only seeing 67% of its average.

Sunshine was below average almost everywhere away from the far north where Lerwick (Shetland) saw 156% of average. Brize Norton (Oxon) once again - as in both April & May - was one of the dullest places and saw only 54%. Much of the south saw less than 70% of average. Lerwick (Shetland) saw one day with as much as 16.7 hours.

It was not a particularly stormy month with few windstorms of any note. However gales blew in the Channel on the 29th as a depression moved across the central UK. Thunder however was rather above average esp across parts of the south and SE due to the showery nature of the month.

By the end of June, sea temperature anomalies had risen to about 1C above average around most UK coasts about a degree up on the average since May. Much of the N Atlantic remained below average (but again only just) with Biscay now above average. Soil temperatures were almost uniformly slightly below average in the south & Midlands but generally near average in the north and soil moisture fell in the north during the month but mainly rose in the wet areas that received above average rainfall further south.

 

Now looking at June in more detail.

On June 2nd under clear skies parts of the Highlands became rather cold overnight, Resallach (Sutherland) fell to -0.1C overnight and Tulloch & Leuchars fell to -3C on the grass. Conversely under sunny skies later it became quite warm in the Highlands in places, Tyndrum reaching 23.3C. June 3rd was a rather warm and sunny day in parts of the western UK & Highlands, Valley (Anglesey) saw 15.5C hours of sunshine but with low pressure to the SE over the near continent it remained dull & chilly in a NE breeze for many in the east & SE. Fylingdales (N Yorks) only reached 10.6C by day.

The 4th was a very sunny in the far north; Stornoway saw 15.4 hours but it remained dull by contrast in much of the SE where low stratus & stratocumulus refused to break keeping temperatures chilly for early June. The 5th was a warm dry & mainly sunny day for many parts with Porthmadog in north Wales seeing the warmest day of the year so far for the UK with 27.8C reached as air warmed as it descended from the Welsh mountains in a NE'ly flow.

The 7th although still potentially very warm (Hull reached 26.3C) saw a slack unstable airmass & thundery showers developed quite widely from the Midlands southwards. As they were slow moving some quite large totals were recorded in places with the resultant issues of flash flooding. In Surrey, Kenley received 48mm in the 24 hours till 21Z though much of that fell in a few hours. A man and his five-year-old son were in a critical condition in hospital after they were struck by lightning in County Antrim. The man's daughter, seven, is in a stable condition after the incident at Killowen Primary School in Lisburn. Three people were trapped in their cars after being submerged in flash floods in Wallington. London Fire Brigade said it helped one person get out of their car while another two people had managed to escape before firefighters arrived. Luton Airport warned flash flooding in the local area had hit the power supply to the airport and wider vicinity. The Environment Agency said 35mm of rain fell in parts of London in one hour. Firefighters were called to London Road in Croydon after lightning struck several buildings. The brigade said it attended a small fire, however, it was out within 30 minutes. Trees, billboards and telephone poles were also set on fire by the lightning. The brigade said the areas were badly affected by the storm between 14:30 and 15:00 BST, when the brigade received about 100 emergency calls. A van became trapped in flood water in Wickhurst Road in Portslade, East Sussex after thunderstorms affected the area in the early afternoon.

On the 8th, heavy thundery showers again broke out in parts of the south & Midlands, the west Pennines and SW Scotland. Some areas around NW London, Birmingham -Wolverhampton, Bury and NE of Thornhill (Dumfries & Galloway) saw up to 45mm in a 2 hour period during the mid afternoon with localised flash flooding. In the Birmingham area a large number of roads were flooded, including part of the M5, while several roads in Handsworth suffered structural damage because of the water. Scores of drivers became trapped while trains and trams were also heavily disrupted by the flood waters. One property was struck by lightning in Bloxwich, a pub was flooded in Haden Cross and several schools were forced into closures. The maternity ward at Birmingham's City Hospital was flooded while there were also problems with the electrics.

On the 10th heavy thundery showers developed after midday and ran east across parts of the Wirral, NE Wales, Herefordhire and Shropshire and down into the N Midlands . There were some localised heavy falls in short periods and flash flooding in places. On the 11th a slack low pressure area gave slow moving showers from about noon onwards, heavy with hail and thunder in places esp but not exclusively in West Sussex, Essex, Suffolk , Surrey and Kent. Wattisham (Suffolk) saw 39mm in the 24 hours to 21Z. A funnel cloud was spotted nr Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk) around 1700BST.

On the 12th in a rather slack cyclonic flow, thundery showers again developed in places from around midday giving locally heavy falls in short periods, more especially around the west then east Midlands where storms tracked slowly ESE across Suffolk and Essex later. Unofficially a weather station near Newport Pagnell reported 40mm in just 30mins. There was at least one lightning strike to a house in Milton Keynes attended by the Fire Brigade. Heavy showers also developed further north over the Lake District and the Pennines though, for example Newton Rigg (Cumbria) saw 41mm in the 24 hours to 21Z today and was officially the wettest place but it's likely that more fell (in a short period) outside of the main rainfall collection grid. Funnel clouds were spotted at Towcester (Northants) (possibly a tornado), Beccles, Suffolk (possibly a tornado) and near Chelmsford, Essex. A further minor tornado lifted an inflatable slide into the air at a Lincolnshire country show where eyewitnesses at the Friskney Show, near Skegness, reported the inflatable taking off at about 13:20 BST and sailing about 30ft up in the air before landing on a nearby road. In the far north however it remained very sunny, Lerwick saw 15.7 hours.

On the 13th under low pressure slow moving a few locally thundery showers developed but nowhere near as extensively as on the 11th and 12th. Santon Downham (Suffolk) saw 40mm in the 24hours to 21Z. There was localised flash flooding in places. On the 14th with low pressure remaining anchored over the UK there were further heavy showers & localised thunderstorms that developed more particularly over the Midlands but also for example across Dorset and Essex as well. A weather station in Birmingham unofficially recorded over 100mm in a 24 hour period though Market Bosworth (Leicestershire) was officially the wettest place in the 24 hours to 21Z. West Midlands Fire Service took 120 weather-related calls in two hours after rain caused flash flooding across Birmingham and the Black Country. Many roads and buildings were flooded and Heartlands Hospital declared a major incident after water poured into the emergency department. Some schools were closed due to flooding. Parts of the Bullring and Mailbox shopping centres were also closed off. Funnel clouds were spotted in Telford (Salops) and Rugby (Warwickshire). The far north continued to see fine sunny weather.

On the 15th with low pressure over the UK it was again a very showery day with many parts seeing slow moving heavy thundery showers. Aboyne (Highlands) saw 62mm & Aberdeen (Aberdeenshire) 52mm fall in the 24 hours to 21Z but other areas saw similar amounts, such as on parts of Dartmoor (Devon). Parts of Nottingham (Notts) were affected by flash flooding including the Mansfield Road & Hucknall Rd & Gotham areas, where the bus garage was flooded. There were a notably high number of funnel cloud reports too. They were spotted in Coningsby twice (Lincs), nr Exeter (Devon), Kings Lynn (Norfolk), West Bromwich (West Midlands), Shawbury (Salops), Waddington (Lincs) & Hereford (Herefordshire). The 16th was yet another unsettled showery day. Further funnel clouds were seen east of Exeter, towards Sidmouth (Devon), Reading (Berks), just NW of Huntingdon (Cambs), Bawdeswell (Norfolk) and at Cranfield (Beds). The 19th June was quite wet in parts of Wales especially, where Capel Curig saw 39mm in the 24 hours to 21Z.

On the 22nd a plume of very warm air moved NE from the near continent , destabilising as it did so & setting off thunderstorms and heavy rain from the mid evening onwards across a large part of the SE from Bournemouth NE towards N London and into Essex. The heaviest rain fell in the east Channel and up towards the coast of Brussels where radar suggests well over 100mm fell with intense thunderstorms. Whilst some parts saw relatively little rain, radar also suggested a swathe from Southampton up to London saw about 40-50mm from the storms & locally 60mm. On actual rainfall totals Farnborough saw 45mm and St James Park 43mm in 12 hours to 09Z on the 23rd. Unofficially a station nr Bishops Sutton in mid Hants, north of East Meon reported 91mm but this does seem out of kilter with other local stations which were nearer 30-40mm. Shedfield (Hants) reported 70mm and one very close 67mm, so it seems realistic. Also, unofficially, a station nr Sidcup in SE London reported 75mm and stations near Canary Wharf and Tooting Bec were reporting 65mm in the 12 hours to 09Z. In Hants the storms caused severe traffic congestion as trees were brought down and flooding blocked main roads. One tree blocked part of a motorway junction while another fell on top of a van. Flooding caused problems for drivers across the county. Standing water caused lane closures on main roads and blocked others. Two lanes of Millbrook Road heading out of Southampton were blocked. Botany Road in Sholing, in Southampton, was also closed due to flooding. London Fire Brigade said it received about 550 emergency calls and it had attended more than 400 incidents, including flooded premises and properties hit by lightning. A polling station in Chessington was flooded, local resident John Tindall said there was about 15cm (6in) of fast flowing water in the polling station and one man had been lending wellington boots to people trying to vote as they waded through water but remained open. London Underground said stations including Monument were closed and lines including the Circle line were suspended. On the rail network companies including Southeastern SW Train and Greater Anglia reported major issues. Transport for London said there had been localised flooding causing disruption to roads including the temporary closure of the Blackwall Tunnel. A Network Rail spokesman said: "It's a very fast moving picture with flash floods still arising and others falling in a variety of different routes into London. In addition, we are dealing with the aftermath of lightning strikes at Surbiton, and at Blackheath." Some people in Barking had to be rescued from their homes by the London Fire Brigade using boats. Resident Jodie Rose said flooding in the area would "have a big effect" on people voting in the referendum. "My Nan is 89 years of age and she's already said that she won't be going out to vote."

On the 23rd as warm humid and unstable air remained over the eastern UK further pulses of heavy thundery rain developed in the afternoon, moving up across the SE of England including London in the late afternoon & early evening, with thunderstorms again in places, some heavy. There was further localised flash flooding as a result, coming on top of the overnight rain. There was a lot of railway congestion and signalling issues in the London area by day especially, caused by track flooding & locally lightning damage. The wettest place officially in the 24 hours to 21Z was Farnborough with 55mm but some parts in the SE undoubtedly had greater amounts, PWS suggesting as much as 80mm in some places. Nevertheless in the far SE, Manston (Kent) was very warm still reaching 25.2C.

The 24th was unsettled & wet in places as heavy showers and localised thunderstorms developed, more especially though in the western Highlands where Cassley ( Highlands) saw 38mm in the 24 hours to 21Z. However it was a much brighter day for most than recently in the south & Shoeburyness (Essex) saw 13.4 hours of sun. The 25th was an unsettled day in many parts and very wet in some areas, Inverbervie (Highlands) was wettest, seeing 51mm in the 24 hours to 21Z.

On the 28th after a fine start in the east low pressure ran across the Midlands & it became a wet and windy day in places, windy more especially along the Sussex coasts in the evening with gales in the Channel and where Worthing Pier unofficially gusted to 55mph. Pembrey Sands saw 20mm of rain to 21Z. The 29th was a wet day as further fronts and associated low pressure ran across the UK. Capel Curig (Conwy) saw 30mm in the 24 hours to 21Z. Spadeadam (Cumbria) only reached 11.4C by day.

 

David Wiseman disclaimer – Issued as a non commercial ‘Not for profit’ forecast. The user assumes the entire risk related to its use of this data. I am providing this data "as is" and disclaim any and all warranties, whether express or implied, including (without limitation) any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will I, David Wiseman, or any related contactors be liable to you or to any third party for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages or lost profit resulting from any use or misuse of this data . Climate stats have been compiled with the partial use and help of UKMO news page data , with thanks. Other news data was compiled from many sources including UKww reports, news papers & some BBC local news reports.