JUNE 1996
June on Fair Isle was very slightly warmer than usual with the mean temperature 0.2 Celsius above the long-term mean. It was also drier and duller than average, with 72.4% and 80.4% of normal rainfall and sunshine respectively.
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Monthly Data
1996 Day 1974-95 1996 Day 1974-95
Mean Max Temperature 11.7 11.6 Highest Max temp 13.1 10 18.0
Mean Min Temperature 8.3 7.9 Lowest Min temp 6.3 22 1.5
Mean Sea Temperature 10.1 10.2 Lowest grass minimum 1.8 3 -4.6
30 cm Earth temperature 10.5 10.5 Days with ground frost 0 0.7
100cm Earth temperature 9.1 9.3 Days with air frost 0 0.0
Total Rainfall (mm) 30.1 41.6 Days with snow/sleet 0 0.2
Wettest Day (mm) 5.3 3 13.0 Days snow cover 09hr 0 0.0
Rain Days ( 0.1mm +) 17 13.9 Days with hail 0 0.3
Wet Days (0.9mm +) 9 7.8 Days fog during 24hr 12 10.0
Total sunshine, hrs 136.5 169.9 Days with fog at 09hr 1 2.6
Sunniest day, hrs 11.3 12 15.4 Days with NIL sun 3 4.0
Mean wind speed, kts 12.5 11.8 Days with gale 2 0.5
Maximum gust, kts 48 1 44.6 Days with thunder 0 0.5
Mean Sea Level pressure 1015.6 1014.6 Days with aurora 0 0.0
Wind Direction%
North 10.0 17.5 S. West 20.0 10.3
N. East 0.0 7.8 West 20.0 18.3
East 0.0 12.0 N. West 20.0 12.2
S. East 16.7 11.8
South 13.3 9.0 CALM 0.0 1.0
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The month began with an Atlantic low near Faeroe bringing outbreaks of rain and gale force south-westerly winds. As this low moved away into the Norwegian Sea a weak ridge, crossing the area on the 2nd, brought a better day with moderate south-west winds. A new Atlantic low tracking, north-eastwards, pushed its occlusion east across Shetland on the 3rd. As the low became slow-moving south of Iceland weak troughs in the mild but strong to gale force south-westerly airstream brought a mixture of showers or longer periods of rain and bright spells to the Northern Isles.
On the 5th a depression moving quickly northwards to the west of Shetland brought rain and gale force south-westerly winds and resulted in Foula - with 7.3 mm of rain - being the wettest place in the UK. Fair Isle was the coldest place in the UK with a maximum temperature of 12.8 Celsius (Gravesend recorded 28.1 Celsius). Another Atlantic low followed a similar track the following day when Sella Ness, with a maximum of 12.6 Celsius was the UK's coldest place (Gravesend recording 30.8 Celsius!). High pressure then briefly developed over the northern North Sea before drifting away north-eastwards and declining.
On the 7th, with a maximum of 10.4 Celsius, it was Lerwicks turn to be the coldest place in the UK - while Gravesend reached 32.9 Celsius! (The following day maximum temperatures in the south were 10 degrees Celsius lower).
For the next four days a series of frontal troughs associated with a sequence of Atlantic lows brought unsettled conditions to Shetland. A break in the cloud cover late on the 9th did allow a glimpse of Noctilucent Clouds. These were again observed on the 10th before a depression tracking north-eastwards across northern Scotland on the 11th brought a return of the cloudy conditions.
High pressure, developing south-west of the UK on the 12th, then extended a ridge across the UK. This persistedfor the next five days - with the Northern Isles afflicted by cloudy conditions and patchy drizzle as weak frontal systems skirted round the northern flank of the anticyclone.
As the high declined south-eastwards on the 16th weather fronts associated with an Icelandic low moved south-east through Shetland. The low then moved south-east into Scandinavia and, as an anticyclone in mid-Atlantic intensified, north to north-westerly winds spreading down over Shetland brought cold and showery coditions.
The cool, showery and sometimes strong northerlies persisted persisted through until the 22nd when the high declined southwards and a low in the Iceland area drove a warm front south-east across Shetland.
High pressure then built from the south-west across the British Isles placing the north of Scotland in a cloudy and moist south-west to westerly airstream for the next few days. The high then declined on the 27th, allowing a depression to move north-east towards north-west Scotland where it became slow-moving for a time on the 28th with south- easterly winds briging drizzle, hill fog and some coastal fog to Shetland. The low then moved away east into the southern Baltic as a filling feature late on the 29th, bringing a cool and showery airstream down over Shetland. A weak ridge then developed but quickly declined as a low slipped south-east from Iceland on the 30th.
June 1996
Weather Diary not presently available.
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