Depending where you live in the UK, your impression of June’s weather may be very different to others, even those living just a few miles away. These local differences have been driven largely by the development of isolated thunderstorms, which were a feature of much of the month and led to extremely heavy downpours in some areas, especially parts of southern England and parts of eastern Scotland.

During June 2016, East Anglia received more than twice the amount of average rainfall for June, when compared with the period between 1981 and 2010. Essex received 116.3mm of rain, nearly two-and-a-half the amount (243%) of the normal June amount. With 109mm of rain, Suffolk also recorded more than double the amount of rainfall (205%). Overall, Norfolk was also a very wet county, but the more detailed map shows that the north Norfolk coast received closer to the average amount of rainfall, while the Fenland districts recorded around double this amount.

Surrey with 118.4mm of rain endured the worst rainfall of any county, relative to its average. The June average rainfall for Surrey between 1981 and 2010 is just 50.7mm. This month’s total was 246% of normal. Other counties recording more than twice the June average include: Leicestershire (210%); Middlesex (241%) and Aberdeenshire (204%).

The rainfall led to media speculation that June 2016 would be a record for rainfall, this was no doubt fuelled by the localised nature of the rainfall which led to extreme impacts in some areas and not others. In the ranking in the series beginning in 1910, 2016 was the 11^th wettest June. During the month an average of 102mm of rain fell. This compares with 2012 – the wettest June since 1910 – when 149mm of rain fell on average across the UK. Nowhere in the UK broke any June rainfall records, although some recording stations did achieve this feat.

If parts of southern England received more rain than normal, then some other counties were drier than normal. All of the top ten driest areas were in Scotland, apart from the Isle of Man. Caithness, which is home to peat bogs and the Flow Country was the driest area in the UK when compared with the June average. This normally wet area received only just over half the usual June rainfall (51.6%).

Of all the four UK countries, Scotland was closest to the long-term June average with 107% of June rainfall. Northern Ireland received 127% of its average June rainfall, while England and Wales both received 163% of normal.

The rainfall figures tell a story, which the sunshine figures endorse. No region of the UK received more than the long-term June average for sunshine. The most sunshine (151 hours) was recorded in north-west England and north Wales. Although North Scotland only recorded 139 hours of sunshine during June, this is still 99% of the June average. The worst place for sunshine during June was the Midlands with only 127 hours of sunshine, only 73% of an average June. The sunshine map above shows that parts of north Wales, Orkney and Shetland basked in more sunshine than usual, while a band of central and southern England enjoyed far less sunshine than usual.

Overall, June 2016 was warmer than the average June. Only East Lothianshire recorded a lower temperature (12.1C) than the long-term 30-year average for the county (12.3C).

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