JULY 1 was dry, sunny and, in many places, the hottest day of the year up until then. Unfortunately, there was no repeat of this, or anything like it, for three disheartening weeks.

Then suddenly, and surprisingly in time for the start of the school holidays, the month redeemed itself with a lengthy period of decent summer weather.

This marked improvement saw temperatures in the North-East recover to slightly above normal over the month, particularly by day. Average maxima during the first three weeks were around 2C (4F) cooler than expected but, for the final ten days, a highly creditable 4C (7F) warmer.

It also dried up, at least until the 31st. Despite this spell, it was a very wet month with widely well over twice the usual rainfall. Up in the Dales, it was the most sodden July for 20 years.

Here at Carlton, near Stokesley, it was the third wettest in my 25 years of data after last year's (138mm, 5.45ins) and 1988's (136mm, 5.35in). The deluge on the 31st, which tumbled down mainly in the early hours of the 1st, took the total way past that of July 2005 (103mm, 4.05in).

Already by the 11th, rainfall was seriously threatening that record accumulation of a year ago. In the seven days beginning Sunday the 6th, 70mm (2.75in) poured down, the anticipated ration for six weeks. With the large dose on the 31st, 80pc of the month's huge aggregate teemed down in just eight days.

Recent Julys seem to have been disappointing, apart from the exceptionally hot one in 2006. This is perhaps because our expectations were raised by the run of dry Julys experienced around the 1990s.

Over the 15 years from 1989, the mean July rainfall at Carlton was 40mm (1.6ins). In the last five, it was a staggering 92mm (3.6ins) even though that of 2006 was very arid.

Consequently, the average July figure since I began observations in 1984 has been boosted to 56mm (2.2ins). Longer-term records suggest it should be around 60-65mm (about 2.5ins). So, we could possibly envisage a few more soakings in July in the near future?

At the end of June, the breeze backed southerly producing two fine days that included Tuesday the 1st of July. Hopes that this would continue were soon dashed as a depression moved slowly north-east towards the country.

This set off showers, which became frequent and thundery by the weekend. It also turned chilly.

The low trundled across northern England and out into the North Sea on the Monday, but was only to be replaced by another on a similar track. This maintained the very unsettled interlude for the next few days.

However, during the second weekend, a ridge of high pressure built towards northern France from the Azores. This deflected the following depression in the direction of Iceland. Its associated fronts, which arrived early in the next week, were therefore weak and brought just small amounts of rain east of the Pennines.

Though milder briefly, it cooled down again by the Wednesday as the south-westerly winds veered westerly. At the end of the week, a new low swung east to the north of Scotland. Brisk north-westerlies resulted over the weekend, carrying a rash of showers across our region, some heavy.

After this, high pressure once more nosed north-eastwards towards us. On this occasion, it developed into a separate cell that passed close-by on Wednesday the 23rd, serving up that welcome helping of summer.

As the high reached southern Scandinavia, the breeze picked up from the south-east, blowing in low cloud and sea fret into coastal fringes at times, and more generally on Monday the 28th.

Another depression edged towards the South-West by the end of the month. Areas of rain were thrown north-westwards from the continent on the last day and these burst into life in the early hours of the 1st of August, giving widespread torrential downpours, thunder, lightening and local flooding.

July temperatures and rainfall at Carlton-in-Cleveland: Mean maximum: 20.4C, 68.5F (+0.0C, +0.0F); mean minimum: 12.1C, 54F (+0.6C, +1.0F); highest maximum: 26.5C, 79.5F, 27th; lowest minimum: 5.5C, 42F, 21st; total rainfall: 119mm, 4.7ins (+65mm, +2.6ins); wettest day: 23mm, 0.9ins, 31st and no of rain days, with 0.2mm (0.01ins) or more: 18 (+4.4). Figures in brackets show the difference from the 24-year mean, 1984-2007.