One of the most notable features of June this year was the minimal rainfall – just 22.2mm, which is just 40 per cent of the average for the month and the fifth driest I have recorded since 1984.
The wettest day was June 1 with 8.4mm – almost half the month’s total. There were 22 dry days so it is not surprising, with the minimal rainfall and the warmth later in the month, that 107mm of moisture evaporated into the atmosphere.
The mean temperature was fractionally above the 31-year average. This figure masks the contrasting temperatures throughout the month.
The first two weeks were mainly cool with maxima well below the average. For many days the winds from a northerly quarter brought cool air, only 14.2C on June 9 (against the monthly mean of 19.7C) and a minimum of 3.4C on the morning of June 3.
However, summer did arrive towards the end of the month with the last eight days in excess of 20C, the warmest being June 30 with a maximum of 28.6C – the hottest day in Marlborough since August 2013.
Late in the month, there were several evenings that were very warm with almost still conditions – ideal BBQ weather. Such must have been the evening in 1953 when Vita Sackville-West wrote: “Sit out in the white garden … till 10pm planning improvements … A perfectly still, breathless evening, scented and warm.”
The total number of hours of strong sunshine was 168, 19 per cent more than in June 2014. The June 30 not only brought a hot day, but the highest daily total of strong sunshine – a total of 15.74 hours.
It is not surprising that the solar energy total was the highest since June 2010. UV levels were mainly in the high category, but later in the month were often rated very high.
