Not only did June finish as the warmest in my records, but it was also the warmest June on record for the UK as a whole. Fairly broadly, apart from the very beginning and end of the month, it was consistently warm, with a good number of 'hot days' which included a four day heat-wave. The departure from the average mean maximum for June by 3.32°c is quite staggering and exemplified the warmth of the month. The lack of rain also became an issue and the record for the most number of consecutive days with no rain was also broken.

  It was also very sunny, especially up to the 16th and with that warmth, no rain and every day much like the ones before, you actually heard people saying "it's getting a little bit boring now" - As such the peak of that heat fell 10-17th but with the four days of 10-13th all topping 25°c. Whilst both the 11-12th topped out at 28.9°c, the record for the highest June maximum at this site wasn't breached.

  Another refrain that became common during that first half of the month is little heard in Cumbria "we need a drop of rain" - it wasn't just the fact that there was no rain for the first ten days, but this followed there having been no rain for the last thirteen days of May; in total 23 consecutive days with no rainfall, a new record for this site. However, these drought-like conditions extended beyond those 23 days. The last 20 days of May had only yielded 0.6 mm and the first 17 days of June 3.4 mm - 37 days with just 4.0 mm, the second driest period in my records.

  However, whilst remaining warm, but not hot, from the 18th the month became more unsettled and there was some rain on most days, but it was only the 18th that provided a good soaking.

  With high pressure firmly in charge through to mid month, June saw a continuation of the dry and sunny weather from the second half of May - and it was glorious!

  However, with wall to wall sun day after day you did hear some people say 'it's getting a bit boring now' - with winds from the ENE it was a little cooler at the beginning of the month, more so by night and under clear skies ground frosts were recorded on the three nights of the 2nd to the 4th.

  The 1st at 16.8°c had seen what would be the month's lowest maximum temperature until the very end of the month, the 2nd to 5th hovered just either side of 20°c, but with winds being more from the east, 6-8th, those maximums dropped back to 17°c.

  Now though it started to get warm - the 10th (26.3°c) would be the first day of a heat-wave (at least three consecutive days above 25°c) that would see both the 11-12th attain 28.9°c (84°f); the 13th managing 27.4°c. Had it not been for the fact that the 14th slipped back just under 25°c (24.8°c), it would have been a seven day heat-wave as both the 15-16th were back above the mark.

  And in this time (the first 16 days) the only rain to fall was 3.2 mm on the 11th which was accompanied by a spell of thunder and lightning in the evening.

  The second half of the month became mixed, broadly unsettled, cooler, with the days being that bit more tolerable, although with day-time maxima still a little above average. However, it remained very mild overnight and getting a good night's sleep wasn't easy.

  With the high pressure retreating north on the 17th, low pressure from the SW took a slow journey north across the UK, with its various fronts and/or troughs bringing periods of rain. The 18th saw the most significant spell of rain from 1630h which included some thunder and lightning with heavy rain during the night, totalling 27.3 mm. Behind these initial fronts the 19th was sunny and bright (as was the 21st), with the 20th sandwiched in between with spells of rain.

  And that theme of some rain or showers with sunny interludes would continue and which resulted in two very mild nights 24-25th, the 15.7°c (24th) a new highest minimum for June at this site. Whilst remaining mild by night, the 27-30th saw cooler day-time maxima with rain or showers more common. The 30th would be see the month's coldest day-time maximum of 16.2°c as a new area of low pressure in the Atlantic pushed fronts across the UK bringing an overcast day of drizzle.

  MSLP of 1018.7 Mb was +3.4 MB above average for the month and overall a mean minimum of 9.68°c and a mean maximum of 21.33°c saw the temperature 2.1°c above the fourteen year average for this site.

  It was the warmest June yet recorded at this site, (beating 2018 by a rather large 1.05°c) - the highest maximum temperature recorded during the month being 28.9°c (11th and 12th), the lowest minimum 2.0°c (2nd).

  Rainfall of 54.4 mm (Maulds Meaburn North 53.8 mm -- Castlehowe Scar 60.0 mm) was 64.5% of average for 2007-22, making it the driest June since 2021 and since the record began (2007), six have been drier and ten wetter.

  During the month the following 'days of' were recorded: Thunder on two days -- the wind speed averaged 4.17 mph, with a maximum gust of 34 mph (23rd).

  We had 0 Air Frosts in the month (year 32)          --          Grass Frosts totalled 3 (year 64).

  The 1 foot soil temp ranged from a low of 15.1°c on the 2nd and 4th        to      a high of 18.4°c on the 13th     --      with a monthly mean of 16.9°c

  The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 12.9°c on the 1st and 4th      to      a high of 15.0°c on the 26th and 28-29th     --     with a monthly mean of 14.1°c

   This makes the Jan' to June period of 2023 1.03°c warmer than the average for 2009-22 and with 85.9% of average rainfall for 2008-22

  At the Met' Office site at Shap a mean minimum of 7.7°c and a mean maximum of 20.4°c saw the monthly mean temperature 1.90°c above average. It was the warmest June yet recorded.

  Rainfall of 52.8 mm represents 52.6% of its average. It was the driest June since 2021 and in a record that commenced in 1989, nine has been drier and twenty-five have been wetter.

  Cumbria Rainfall

  In spite of the very first half of the month by the month's end the picture was starting to change and a few sites even finished wetter than average.

  And those sites that finished wetter than average were condensed into a small geographic area of Cumbria and virtually strung out in a line: Warcop (146.9%), Appleby In Westmorland (122.4%), Haresceugh Castle (117.7%) and Kirkby Thore. However, aided by the second largest 24Hr fall of the month (47.2 mm), Beetham Hall (to the south of Milnthorpe and on the Lancashire border) also finished with a total well above average (120.9%).

  Yet very close by to that 'eastern strip of wetness' Shap (52.6%) and then the driest of all as a percentage, Burnbanks (50%) had a notably dry month. Some of the rainfall that contributed to those sites being wetter than average came courtesy of a thunderstorm on the 11th which saw 26.6 mm recorded at Brackenber.

  And of course the first half of the month virtually saw no rainfall at all - the first ten days were uniformly dry, resulting in the drought like conditions that saw the River Derwent in Borrowdale run dry. There was the thunderstorm of the 11th which brought some rain to all areas, but mainly in the east of the county.

  However, the 18th saw the end to the drought, commencing with a thunderstorm and which was broadly the wettest day of the month, although at a few sites in the LDNP the 23rd was the wettest day and which saw Ennerdale Black Sail record a 24Hr fall of 53.8 mm, the month's highest**

  The 18th also heralded the start of a less settled period and which lasted for the rest of the month. Whilst most days recorded some rainfall, totals were not excessive (apart from the more localised fall of 23rd as mentioned above).

  **In its Climate Summary for June the Met' Office has quoted Wiley Sike No.2 has having had the most rainfall in a 24Hr period, 70.4 mm on the 18th. Wiley Sike is in Cumbria but from the data that we have seen from the EA the total rainfall for the month is just 89.26 mm and with just 35.1 mm on the 18th - We await clarification from the Met'O / EA and hence why the total for Ennerdale Black Sail has been used in this report.

  Figures from the Environment Agency's rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1991-2020)   'Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Environment Agency (Penrith)':

  At Appleby in Westmorland rainfall of 71.5 mm (LTA of 58.4 mm) represents 122.4% of its average (1856-2022) and made it the driest since 2021 - since the record commenced (1856), 121 have been drier, 44 have been wetter and two were exactly the same.

  Kirkby Thore 55.4 mm -- (55.3 mm)

  Haresceugh Castle (Kirkoswald) 91.35 mm -- (77.6 mm)

  Brothers Water 92.35 mm -- (139.6 mm)

  Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale) 138.6 mm -- (184.4 mm [average for 1845-2022]) - making it the driest since 2021 and since 1845 when the record commenced, 62 have been drier and 116 have been wetter.