IF THERE was a competition for the month with the most contrasting halves, then June would be one of the contenders. The first two weeks were very warm, sunny and mostly dry, promising to be as hot as last year's flaming June. The last 14 days were just the opposite and a spell around the 23rd was distinctly autumnal.

I certainly got the wrong idea about how June fared overall, thinking the two halves would balance themselves out. However, when I did the sums, it turned out to be not only another mild month but also the third warmest June in my 20 years of records.

June 2003 was much hotter - that of 1992 marginally so. Like everyone, I was spoiled by the first half of the month, averaging over 3C (6F) warmer than normal by day. This made the last two weeks seem cold, but they were just half a degree or so (1F) below what we should expect.

June ended up on the dull side and was generally the wettest for five or six years, though the others between were far from dry. Accumulations ranged from a shade below, to over 1 times the norm, depending on how many of the local downpours were caught. Carlton was typical, with only one-fifth of the total falling in the first half of the month, and all of this within the first three days.

Towards the end of May, an Atlantic frontal system was approaching from the south-west. After passing through on the 1st, it introduced a changeable westerly flow, with occasional spells of rain and some showers between. This gave the first appreciable rain in one or two locations for over three weeks.

It dried up again by the first weekend, and, as the wind gradually backed into the south, both the temperature and humidity rose. By the Sunday, it became thundery, but any outbreaks of rain were very scattered.

Tuesday the 8th was the hottest day of the year so far in most parts, with 26.5C (80F) being reached in one or two spots. However, a front advancing from the west brought fresher conditions, though the sun continued to shine. The mercury, reduced to more reasonable levels temporarily, climbed once more over the following weekend as the breeze again shifted back into the south.

The start of the next week saw the high pressure cell - which had been close to southern England, giving the fine weather - retreat west. This allowed a trough to move south-east across the country on Wednesday the 16th. The north-westerlies behind it, originating near the Arctic, caused a sharp drop in temperature and persisted for several days. Showers became widespread, a few in the torrential category, with hail and thunder. On a couple of nights, when the wind fell calm and the clouds cleared, it was cold enough for a ground frost.

Late on Tuesday the 22nd, a depression ran north-east across Britain. It was unusually deep for the time of year. It gave a very wet and windy spell, especially on the Thursday, when it was also distinctly chilly, before heading away to the east.

The next low was even deeper initially, but became slow moving to the north-west of Scotland for the remainder of the month. This maintained the showery theme as well as the brisk breeze, but with it blowing mostly from between south-west and west, temperatures recovered.

One of the most frequent digs I receive from people happens after a forecast of showers. I'm told it was wrong, either because, where they were, it had been dry all day or they'd been soaked. Showers can vary in size from metres to tens of kilometres across. There might be just the odd one over the whole country or they can be packed together like sardines. They may be almost stationary, lasting hours, or come and go at the blink of an eye. By their very nature, they are hit and miss affairs.

I observed a classic example of this on Sunday the 20th. At Carlton, it was a lovely day with just a few showers. However, I'd seen the cumulonimbus clouds developing further as they passed over the Moors in the north-westerly airstream during the afternoon. We ventured out about 5pm to Dalby Forest, on the opposite, south-east side of the North York Moors. Ahead of us, one cloud in particular grew dramatically.

When we reached our destination, it was only spitting with rain. However, it was very obvious that there had been a deluge in that area as the roads were strewn with debris and still awash in parts.

June temperatures and rainfall at Carlton-in-Cleveland:

Mean maximum 19.1 C, 66.5F, (+1.4C, +2.5F)

Mean minimum 10.1C, 50F (+0.9C, +1.5F)

Highest maximum 26.3C, 79.5F, 8th

Lowest minimum 2.4C, 36.5F, 21st

Total rainfall 75mm, 3.0ins, (+14mm, +0.6ins)

Wettest day 17mm, 0.65ins, 24th

Number of rain days with 0.2mm (0.01ins) or more: 14 (+0)

Figures in brackets show the difference from the 20-year mean, 1984-2003.