MAY was an exceptional month, producing extreme contrasts across the UK. Records for almost all the meteorological elements for any May were broken somewhere or other.

The main feature was the striking divide between the North and the South, particularly with regard to rainfall. Scotland had its warmest May for 100 years or more, and in some places, especially in the west, the driest and sunniest. The South had one of its dullest and wettest Mays, but it was very mild.

In northern England, being roughly in the middle, the month was less noteworthy, though records were still surpassed. We tended to have an east-west split Weatherwatch by Mike Cinderey as well, largely owing to temperatures, with some marked differences from day to day.

Towards the Dales, a few places achieved their hottest May for more than 30 years. However on the coast, the almost unrelenting on-shore wind held temperatures down below the norm during the day, but much above at night. So even here, overall, it was milder than usual, but only slightly.

At Carlton, near Stokesley, it was the third warmest May after those of 1992 and 1999 in my 25-year log. Over the six days from the 5th, mean maxima were 22.7C (73F), an impressive 7.5C (13.5F) above average. Over the same period at the sea-side, hardly 20km (13 miles) away as the crow flies, they struggled to reach 60F (15.5C).

On the other hand, at Carlton, typical of inland areas, there were four ground frosts on the trot from the 18th, including one late air frost on the 20th. This was the latest in any spring since that on the 24th May in 1997, but I clocked one as tardy as the 28th in 1994.

Rainfall in our region was about half the volume anticipated, with as little as 10pc in a couple of spots. Amounts from the 4th to the 27th were negligible, and it was widely the driest May for four years.

High pressure caused this topsyturvy weather, establishing itself close-by after the first few days. It settled, unusually, to our north, somewhere between Iceland and southern Scandinavia, and persisted, remarkably, for the remainder of the month. It blocked the customary progress of depressions across the Atlantic, forcing them to amble over Biscay and on into Europe, causing winds from between north and south-east.

For example at Carlton, there were no fewer than 19 days with the breeze blowing from the north or north-east at 10am, the standard observation time (0900 GMT).

This was the most from this direction in any month in the last 15 years for which I have readily accessible data, beating the 18 in both May 1994 and June 1995.

Additionally, southerlies and our expected prevailing south-westerlies occurred on a mere four days - only once after the 3rd. This was the fewest such days in any month that I've noted since March 1996, when there were none.

There were residual showers on the 1st, left over from the unsettled spell at the end of April. Otherwise it was increasingly mild and sunny, apart from the 4th, when a warm front edged northwards.

This brought cloud and some light rain, in many places mixed with dust carried here from the Sahara. When it dried up, previously clean cars were spattered with pale, brown splodges.

It also heralded the start of summer for the next six days. This continued over much of the rest of the country for another week or so, but here in the North-East, as winds backed north-easterly, our more traditional "summer" weather - low cloud, mist and even drizzle at times - rolled in, chiefly affecting coastal districts.

Over the third weekend, as the breeze shifted into the north, clearer skies arrived, but it remained cool despite the enhanced sunshine. Early the following week, depressions edged towards southern Britain, marking the beginning of its very wet period.

For us though, with the wind veering east to south-east, temperatures recovered and we managed to stay dry until after the bank holiday weekend.

The rest of May saw belts of rain, occasionally heavy, spiralling north-westwards across us from France. Spring temperatures were close to average, more than making up for the chilly March and April.

May temperatures and rainfall at Carlton-in-Cleveland: Mean maximum: 16.7C, 62F (+1.6C, +3F); mean minimum: 7.7C, 46F (+1.1C, +2F); highest maximum: 24.4C, 76F, 10th; lowest minimum: - 0.6C, 31F, 20th; total rainfall: 30mm, 1.2ins (-15mm, -0.6ins); wettest day: 15mm, 0.6ins, 29th; no of rain days with 0.2mm (0.01ins) or more: 11 (-2.2). Figures in brackets show the difference from the 24-year mean, 1984-2007.