By Philip Eden

Frequent southerly winds maintained a consistent warmth throughout the month in southern, central and eastern districts: in London the maximum temperature was between 21 and 24°C on 22 out of the 30 days, with only one day below 21°C.

The Central England Temperature (CET) for June 2003 was 16.1°C, which is 1.7 degC above the mean for the standard reference period 1971-2000, making it the warmest June for 27 years. In the last 100 years there were only four warmer Junes, in 1976, 1970, 1950 and 1940, and one with the same mean temperature, 1960. Daytime temperatures, averaged across the whole month, were 2.5-3.0 degC above normal in northeast England, East Anglia and the Midlands, but less than 1.0 degC above in western Scotland and Northern Ireland. Overnight minimum temperatures were 1.0 to 2.0 degC above normal over most of the UK. The hottest days were the 15th, 16th, and 22nd, all with maxima of 28-30°C, and 31°C was logged at Shepshed, near Loughborough, on the 22nd. No frost was recorded at any lowland site in the UK during the course of the month.

Rainfall (including an estimated figure for the 30th), averaged over England and Wales, was 73mm which is 13 per cent above the average for the standard reference period 1971-2000. During the last 100 years 34 Junes were wetter while 66 were drier. In the main population centres in Scotland the total for June 2003 was 50mm which is 5 per cent below the normal amount, whereas the Northern Ireland total of 69mm was 18 per cent above.

Severe thunderstorms delivered some heavy localised falls, but the heaviest rain fell on the last day of the month with 60-70mm recorded at several sites in Yorkshire. Monthly rainfall totals ranged from 17mm at Aberdeen Airport to 143mm at Valentia in the Irish Republic. Percentages ranged from 31 at Aberdeen to 264 at Marham in Norfolk.

Sunshine over England and Wales totalled 219 hours during June 2003 which is just six per cent above the long-term average for the month. The equivalent figure for Scotland's main population centres was 178 hours (four per cent below), and for Northern Ireland it was 181 hours (also four per cent below). Monthly aggregates ranged from 110 hours at Lerwick in Shetland to 285 hours at Clacton in Essex.

Philip Eden's new book, The Daily Telegraph Book of the Weather, published by Continuum, is available for £16.99 (post free in the UK). To order please call Telegraph Books Direct on 0870 155 7222 or visit the amazon.co.uk website.

(c) Philip Eden