AFTER the exceptional May, June was pretty ordinary.

It was wet across the region, apart from along the coast, with rainfall adding up to as much as one and a half times the average. This was, of course, very dry compared to the soaking we endured last June, when totals were about twice as large.

Temperatures were close to normal.

It was generally a shade chillier than a year ago, and so the coolest June since 2001.

There were no remarkably hot or cold days, though there was ground frost in parts on a few nights around the middle of the month.

It was most widespread early on Sunday the 15th. At Carlton, near Stokesley, we had only a touch and we do expect a ground frost in most Junes here. Although well into summer, it wasn't as late as the one I observed on the 24th in 1993. I've never recorded a ground frost in July, though I'm sure I'll get one sometime. Would it be classed as a belated spring or a premature autumn one?

In August, there's been just one in all my 25 years of data. By September we begin to catch them occasionally - about two is customary.

Higher up in the Dales, ground frosts crop up even in July and there's bound to be the odd hollow that manages an air frost then, too.

On the other hand, there's been three winter months that have been air frost-free at Carlton.

These were December 1988, January 1989 (so that season had only four air frosts, all in the February) and January 1990. However, I've registered at least seven ground frosts in every winter month.

The last week of May had become changeable, with a slack area of low pressure off southwest England. This caused belts of rain, heavy at times, to spiral north-westwards from France across us. There were three more such bouts during early June, on the 1st, 3rd and late on Friday the 6th.

A ridge of high pressure then built north-eastwards from the Azores over the weekend. With the resulting south-westerlies, summer suddenly arrived. Temperatures soared into the mid- 70s F (around 24C) on the Sunday and Monday.

Unfortunately, this ridge soon weakened as another high developed near Greenland. The wind veered north-westerly and eventually into the north, so it turned much cooler. By the Wednesday and on each day until the Sunday, a scattering of showers were set off, a few quite beefy and with hail.

Early the following week, a depression ran south-east from Iceland to southern Scandinavia bringing westerlies and nearer normal temperatures. This marked the start of an unsettled period, which was to continue for the rest of the month.

The track of the subsequent lows was more north-easterly to the north of Britain. Their attendant fronts carried in rain at times, with some showers between. The ensuing south-westerly flow was often brisk.

Indeed, the depression that troubled us over the week-end of the 21st/22nd as it headed towards Scotland was particularly deep, with an autumnal aura. Winds around it were unseasonably strong, almost as severe as any we had during our windy winter.

It certainly gave the trees, now in full-leaf, a good battering.

It was also cold in the rain on the Saturday, with the mercury dropping, typically at Carlton, to a mere 10C (50F) mid-afternoon, the lowest in the 24 hours from 10am. This was very unusual for summer, whereas in winter, due to the weakness of the sun, maxima and minima can happen at anytime during the day or night.

The slump in the temperature was shameful for the longest day of the year, though, by midnight, it had recovered to a respectable 60F (15.5C) and didn't falter until the next evening. At least the dip was short-lived. On the 3rd in June 1991, the peak that I measured over the 24 hours was a dismal 48F (9C).

On Monday 30th, the breeze backed southerly. The temperature climbed to its highest level for three weeks and the humidity increased as well, raising hopes for a decent spell of summer weather.

June temperatures and rainfall at Carlton-in-Cleveland: Mean maximum: 17.7C, 64F (-0.2C, -0.5F); mean minimum: 9.2C, 48.5F (-0.2C, -0.5F); highest maximum: 24.2C, 75.5F, 9th; lowest minimum: 3.6C, 38.5F, 15th; total rainfall: 75mm, 3.0ins (+10mm, +0.4ins); wettest day: 14mm, 0.55ins, 3rd and number of rain days, with 0.2mm (0.01ins) or more: 18 (+4). Figures in brackets show the difference from the 24-year mean, 1984- 2007.