Temperatures were near normal overall in June, but rainfall and sunshine were both above average.

The highlight of the temperature regime in June was the 2 day hot spell on 26^th and 27^th. On 26^th the temperature reached a maximum of 28.8°C and the next day 31.5°C was achieved. This was the highest temperature recorded in any month since 26^th July 2006 and only the second time since July 2006 when the temperature has exceeded 30°C.

This level of heat was not maintained and on the following day, 28^th, the maximum temperature was only 18.2°C!

The mean daily maximum temperature in June was 20.7°C, which is 0.5°C above the 30 Year (1981/2010) average. The mean night minimum temperature was 0.2°C below average at 10.6°C. It was the coolest June since 2008.

The lowest day maximum temperature in June was 14.6°C on 6^th. The lowest night minimum temperature of the month was 7.4°C on 10^th, whilst the lowest grass minimum temperature in June was 3.7°C on 1^st. The highest night minimum temperature of the month was 17.8°C on 27^th, and by the 0900 GMT observation hour on that day the temperature had already climbed to 27.4°C.

The last occasion that the month of June registered a below average mean temperature was in 1999, and then only by 0.1°C, making June 2011 the 12^th consecutive June with an above average mean temperature (although only by a narrow margin this year).

The mean earth temperature at 30 cms depth as recorded at 0900 GMT daily was 16.6°C, the earth temperature reaching a maximum of 19.9°C on 28^th and falling to a minimum of 14.7°C on 1^st.

After enduring the driest Spring since rainfall records began in the town in 1853 Royston experienced a wetter than average June. Much of the rainfall was showery in nature and in fairly small daily amounts and no really wet day occurred to significantly mitigate the effects of the Spring drought.

Total rainfall in June was 61.3 millimetres, which is 128% of the 30 Year (1981/2010) average. The number of "rain days" (0.2 millimetres or more) was 15 with rainfall exceeding 1.0 millimetre on 10 of these days.

The wettest day of the month was 28^th with a modest 9.5 millimetres rainfall. This was accompanied by thunder making this day the second day in the month with thunder (after 18^th). It was the wettest June since 1999.

For the 3^rd successive month sunshine exceeded 200 hours, a value higher than the long term average for any month of the year. The June sunshine total was 210.3 hours, which is 117% of the 1971/2000 average. Numerically it was the dullest June since 2008, but sunshine amounts in the years 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 were all very similar.

The sunniest day in June was 14^th with 14.4 hours sunshine. No day in the month was completely sunless, but 28^th came very close with only 1 minute of sunshine!

June was a fairly breezy month but without any strong winds being experienced. The mean wind speed over the month based on 5 minute observations was 6.7 mph, and the maximum wind gust recorded was 32 mph on 21^st. The highest daily (00/00 GMT) mean wind speed was 11.0 mph on 25^th and the lowest daily mean wind speed was 3.2 mph on 6^th.

Twenty days in June contained a westerly component in the wind direction as the following analysis of wind directions as observed at 0900 GMT daily shows: NORTH 1 day, NE 5, E 0, SE 1, S 3, SW 9, W 8, NW 3 and CALM 0.

The mean MSL air pressure in June was 1014.6 mB, which is 2.2 mB below the 1981/2010 average. The highest and lowest air pressure values in June were 1034.5 mB on 3^rd and 995.6 mB on both 17^th and 18^th, respectively.

The mean relative humidity in the month was 76.4%. The highest and lowest daily (00/00 GMT) mean relative humidity values were 92.8% on 28^th and 66.8% on 1^st respectively. The absolute lowest relative humidity reading in June was 34% at 1520 GMT on 11^th.

No fog (visibility < 1000 metres @ 0900 GMT) was observed in June.

Met. Observer, Royston (Iceni) Weather Station

6^th July 2011