After the UK experienced the warmest May on record, many across the country will have been dusting off the outdoor barbecues and refreshing their summer wardrobe in anticipation for a further hot spell in June.
However, the first 10 days of June have been cooler than expected, with the mercury down an average two degrees compared expected temperatures for the month so far in southern England, and the outlook will not change for a little while yet.
Dr Robert Thompson, a meteorologist from the University of Reading, said the biggest factor for cooler temperatures in June was the Atlantic jet stream, which is bringing in cold air from Greenland and Iceland. The steam, he said, “wriggles around” to steer in winds from different regions.
He addded that the lower-than-expected temperatures for the start of June is not entirely unusual - and that the warm weather will return to likely give the UK above-average heat this summer.
With the jet stream – a core of strong winds blowing from west to east – located further south than normal for this time of year, cooler winds from Arctic region were leading to lower temperatures across the UK.
But this will change as the stream eventually moves northwards, with it also bringing higher pressure across England and Wales.
“Yes, at lunchtime you needed a coat, and it is not what you expect from June - but we have got so used to rising temperatures caused by global warming that we expect the months to be warmer than average,” Dr Thompson said.
To put into perspective, Dr Thompson explained that out of the past 12 months, just three were colder than average in the UK.
“It looks like we will return to a more normal position toward the end of this weekend,” said Dr Thompson, who believes temperatures this summer will be above average, with expected periods of droughts and thunderstorms associated with a warmer conditions. “Things are changing with global warming,” he added.
A spokesperson for the Met Office told The Independent that temperatures across the UK for June were between three and four degrees below average. The next week will remain unsettled, they said, before the warm weather will return.
On Tuesday, the Met forecast a bright day, with sunny spells, for many, but rain is expected across northern, central and eastern England in the afternoon, with a cool northerly breeze keeping temperatures below 18 degrees.
On Wednesday, another bright start of the day is expected ahead of sccattered showers across eastern parts of England. Thursday and Friday will also see thundery outbreaks of rain with a cold breeze felt by many.
