THE start of June has been incredibly chilly with snow falling on the mountains up north as the mercury has struggled to reach double digits and it raises the question of why is this month so cold?
Last month was the UK's hottest May on record, which Scotland played a large part in as the country's mean temperature for the month was 12.3C, beating 2018’s previous record by a staggering 1.6C.
But with just under two weeks into June, the temperature has dropped.
Scotland’s average high temperature for this time of year is around 17C with the average low of 10C with June, July, and August being typically the warmest periods of the year.
However, just last week northerly parts of the country saw hail and snow at high altitudes.
The National shared pictures of the Cairngorm Mountain on June 4 with a light dusting of snow as the Met Office recorded temperatures of –2C for the area.
With many Scots still wearing jumpers Grahame Madge, a spokesperson for the Met Office, says the unseasonably poor weather is set to continue.
He also stated the reason why it is chiller than usual is due to a colder northerly flow of air.
He said: “For most of the month we have been under the influence of a weather pattern with an area of high pressure to the west and low pressure to the east.
“Because of the way air circulates around areas of high and low pressure, this pattern introduces a colder northerly flow of air which has been responsible for the lower temperatures.
“More unsettled weather will dominate from later this week as an area of low pressure moves in from the west.”
Although it may not be good news for the rest of June, Madge did say this type of weather is uncommon for this time of year, but not unheard of.
He added: “During summer, we can expect periods of lower-than-average temperature, as we are experiencing now.
“We had a similar colder-than-average start to June 2020 when UK average temperatures were similarly suppressed.”
So, is June expected to warm up? I wouldn’t hold your breath.
It is meant to be cloudy with some showers across Scotland for the remainder of the week with the potential of thundery showers for some parts of the country too at the weekend.
The average temperature is also around 15C, so not quite short weather just yet.
