June: how much of a washout has it been?

It’ll probably come as no surprise to you that June has been wetter than normal across much of the UK, according to the Met Office.

Provisional information released today, covering the 1-27 June, shows that some parts of England and Scotland have had more than double the average rainfall.

It’s meant that many of us haven’t gone too far without an umbrella or coat to hand, as well as Glastonbury Festival being one of the muddiest ever.

And, with June already tucked under our belts, the dreaded question is starting to pass our lips: will we have a proper summer this year?

Before I take a look at the prospects for July, I just want to delve a little deeper into June.

June: wetter than normal for many

Much of England and Wales, along with eastern Scotland, have had above normal rainfall during June, with some places receiving more than double their normal rainfall.

In fact the counties of Middlesex and Essex are close to having their wettest June since records began in 1910, with still three days of the month left to include in the figures.

However, it’s important to point out that some places have been drier than normal – especially north east England, the rest of Scotland, along with much of Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.

Some parts of western Scotland – normally one of the wetter parts of the UK – have only had 30-50 per cent of their average June rainfall.

Why so wet?

During the first half of June, we tended to have slow-moving areas of low pressure get stuck in similar places for a prolonged period of time.

This gave England and Wales – especially southern and eastern areas – much more rain than typically seen in June.

It also came in the form of intense showers and thunderstorms, which is why the most anomalously wet areas appear in patches on the rainfall map above.

During the second half of June, the jet stream moving over or to the south of the UK has brought in areas of low pressure off the Atlantic, giving more widespread rain.

June: warmer than normal for most

What may surprise you is that June has been warmer than normal across many parts of the UK.

When taking the UK as a whole, mean temperatures (a combination of day and night temperatures) have been 1C above average.

However, some western parts of the UK have seen temperatures 2C above average, through Wales, north west England, Northern Ireland and western Scotland.

Is summer coming in July?

At the moment, the jet stream looks like remaining brisk into the first week of July, as well as continuing to sit over or to the south of the UK.

This means that unsettled, changeable weather will continue, with showers or longer spells of rain at times and just occasional drier, sunnier days.

However, there are signs that the jet stream will slow down in the second week of July and meander around more.

This would make the weather less unsettled and increase the chance of seeing something sunnier and warmer. Fingers crossed!

Don’t forget, you can get the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website. I’ll also be posting updates on Twitter – @liamdutton