Drier June than usual, but average temperature below 13C – Met Office

The UK saw less rainfall than expected in June but the average temperature across the month was below 13C, despite the recent mini-heatwave in some areas.

The Met Office said 55.1mm of rain fell across the country last month, 29% less than the long-term average, while Wales and England saw around half of their expected average amounts.

But this did not seem to translate into more generally warmer weather as the average UK mean temperature for June was 12.9C, which was 0.4C below the long-term meteorological average.

The lower June temperatures are in stark contrast to those seen the month prior, where an average temperature of 13.1C saw the warmest May in records dating back to 1884.

It also comes after the UK had its wettest spring since 1986 and the sixth wettest on record.

Temperatures in the first two weeks of June were around 2C below average due to cold Arctic air being blown across the UK by northerly winds, a Met Office spokesperson said.

High pressure and the jet stream moving north brought more warmth during the second half of the month, especially in the south, with a high of 30.3C recorded at Heathrow Airport on June 26 and some areas of southeast England exceeding 28C for several days.

However, temperatures returned to around or below average before June ended.

Wales (-0.7C), Scotland (-0.5C) and Northern Ireland (-0.6C) all recorded average temperatures half a degree or more lower than would be expected.

There were still near-average levels of sunshine despite the cooler conditions and regional variation, with 178.8 hours of sunshine recorded across the UK over the month, the Met Office said.

The current forecast for the beginning July has temperatures remaining on the cool side, with unsettled conditions leading to a mix of bright spells, scattered showers and stronger winds.