JUNE will undoubtedly be remembered for its plentiful downpours and resulting flooding.

We expect brief, local inundations after violent thunderstorms in summer but not widespread, prolonged events, with rivers overflowing for days.

Floods were inevitable after the huge quantities of rain that teamed down during the month. These ranged from 125mm (5ins) around Teesmouth to 250mm (10ins) in the south and west of our region - that is, from more than twice to almost four times the average. It was the wettest June for more than 50 years, apart from along the coast near Whitby where that of 1997 was damper.

These accumulations were more astonishing because the first 12 days of the month were dry, except for some drizzle on a few days in parts bordering the North Sea. Of the remaining 18 days, in most places, only one was dry.

For some spots it was the wettest month of any for more than 20 years. Towards the Pennines, one or two winter months have been wetter when there was a vigorous westerly airstream, as in February 2002. Here at Carlton, near Stokesley, it was the third wettest in my 24 years of data, but only marginally behind November 2000 and April 2000, when 173 and 169mm (6.8 and 6.65ins) respectively, poured down. You could say this June was making up for the dry spring, or last June, my driest with just 17mm (0.65ins).

June was doubly miserable owing to the lack of sunshine as well. There was scarcely half the ration that we look forward to. Amazingly, when days are at their longest, we had barely 50pc of the dazzling total achieved in April.

Temperatures, almost unbelievably, were generally above average by about 1C (2F), although it was still the coolest June since 2001. Due to the extensive cloud cover, nights were mild but days were closer to anticipated values. My tables shows that maxima at Carlton were a little below normal but the means used for comparison here include the recent run of very warm Junes.

June started pleasantly mild. Then, on the 4th, a new high formed north of Britain, causing the wind to switch into the north-east. For eastern districts, with the airflow now off the sea, this meant a sharp drop in temperature. It drew in low cloud, too.

By the Wednesday, this had thickened and, for the next five days, was reluctant to break up even as far inland as the Dales. Near the coast, there was fog and drizzle.

By the 11th, the breeze came from southern Europe. So when, out of the blue, the sun broke through, the temperature soared to give the hottest day of the month.

Alas, pressure had been falling and depressions were to dominate the scene for the rest of the month. They generated an abundance of showers, often torrential, a few with hail and thunder, as well as frequent longer periods of rain, often heavy.

For the first ten days of this spell, the depressions were centred close to southern Britain. For the remainder of June, the lows took a more north-easterly path across north-west England. With the breeze now mainly from a south-westerly quarter, it did turn a bit warmer and brighter, sometimes.

Two depressions were notably active. As they dawdled eastwards up the Channel, their associated fronts ground to a halt over eastern England. The first, around the 14th, widely produced over 25mm (1ins) of rain and as much as 75mm (3ins) at Leeming. This time there was little flooding as the dry ground soaked up the water but became saturated.

The second arrived on the 24th and provided a drenching that especially afflicted the area from Hull to Doncaster and Sheffield where as much as 100mm (4ins) tumbled down within 24 hours. With the soil unable to absorb more moisture, the consequences were the worst flooding there since the spring of 1947.

June temperatures and rainfall at Carlton in Cleveland. - Mean maximum: 17.5C, 63.5F (-0.4C, 0.7F). Mean minimum: 9.9C, 50ºF (+0.5C, 1F). Highest maximum: 25.2C, 77.5F, 11th. Lowest minimum: 5.4C, 41.5F, 2nd. Total rainfall: 168mm, 6.6ins (+108mm, 4.3ins). Wettest day: 27.8mm, 1.1ins, 25th. Number of rain days, with 0.2mm (0.01ins) or more: 22 (+8) (Figures in brackets show difference from 23-year mean, 1984-2006)