A Winter's Tale

Some pleasant sunshine and blue skies aswell as impressive shower clouds - especially further south and east. I was out playing tennis two hours ago and an impressive storm cell grew as it moved from the SW. A few loud rumbles of thunder and ominous looking skies made us take cover in the clubhouse for a while.

Plenty of rumbles of thunder, a number of flashes and one bolt of lightning. Quieter now with steady rain.

Very dark here with rumbles of thunder. The radar suggests some really heavy rain is on the way.

Yes I heard that there was a shower nearby earlier this week but in general quite a few parts of the country have escaped any rain during this spell. Feeling very hot just now and Glasgow airport has recorded 28C and I believe this is the warmest day since the end of July 2006 and a temperature that is well over the boiling point for a Scotsman - more like the melting point as Sally Magnusson demonstrates

Now 27C at Glasgow airport making it the joint warmest day of the year so far. I believe the highest recorded temperature since 2000 at the airport is 28C so there's still time for the temperature to rise. Another amazing day here with not a cloud in the sky and just a slight breeze in the warm sunshine - glorious conditions. It appears that this month will end up joining July 2006 and August 2003 for being the best months for summer weather since the millenium. So far this month there has been 14 consecutive days without rainfall and that tally should increase with more dry conditions into the weekend and start of next week - making it quite possibly the most impressive dry spell in Scotland for many years. Fingers crossed that August keeps up the good weather.

This is a perfect summer evening!!

1st July: Welcome to the first day of July, like August this is traditionally one of the warmest months of the summer but it can be renowned for thundery downpours and humid conditions aswell as hot and dry summer weather. It's been a while since we've had a truly great summer month. The last was July 2006 - although June 2010 was decent and last month got off to a good start - and since then we've been more familiar with classic winter months than summer. And in the past few years, there has been some well and truly wet weather in July. Can this month improve on the good start to last month or will it be the same old story? Well, today, a showery airmass was over the country although I didn't observe any precipitation. There was some pleasant conditions with clear and sunny intervals and bright conditions aswell as some passing clouds. Quite breezy in the westerly wind. There was little in the way of clear patches later this evening with generally cloudy skies but not too dull. Now it is calm, but overcast ahead of a soaking wet day tomorrow. But ater this week it could turn settled and warmer? 2nd July: A wide and large front saw an extensive band of rain sit and slowly corss the country today. It wasn't particulary heavy rain, more like steady drizzle for much of the day making for a disapointing day. And it is still drizzly outside. A few more unsettled days before the Azores High is set to make things more settled and warmer for the weekend and into next week. 3rd July: A brighter day overall with a mix of intervals of both sunshine/clear skies and cloud and it was fairly pleasant and calm. Recently it has become cloudier with an approaching front which is set to bring rain for tomorrow - thereafter and it is a more summery looking picture. 4th July: There was soime sunshine and blue skies for periods earlier today but it was quite breezy and at times there was some strong gusts. There was also some clouds and I recall during the evening alternating cloud cover/clear skies. This gave way to a variety of skyscapes and colours/ambiance with a constantly changing look to the sky during the evening. Around 8pm it was largely overcast but with ridges and pockets of clear skies and around 9-10pm there was a mixture of cloud cover and clear skies: different colours of the sun shinning on certain parts of the landscape/clouds and different tones of blue in the clearer pockets across the sky (a pale blue further south and east). It did however seem more autumnal than July. Recently there has been more alternating period of areas of cloud cover and clearer skies (with some light after dusk) and a clearer/cold looking sky with starts out - rolling across the sky. Tomorrow should be mostly dry, western Scotland isn't immune from some rainfall. It is then set to turn warmer and more settled. 5th July: A warm, quite balmy day. It started bright with hazy sunshine, blue skies with scattered white cloud and a pleasant breeze. For a time in the early evening it turned a bit cloudier before warm hazy sunsine, blue skies and scattered white cloud returned. ....

Superb pure blue sky with well scattered white clouds and feeling very warm. This has got to be the best summer month since July 2006 with 11 days of temperatures of above 20C and 13 consecutive dry days. Very good weather for the Open at Muirfield.

Much fresher here during the past couple of days. Yesterday was a very pleasant summer's day but today was much cloudier in general other than some clear spells in the afternoon and evening. A similar story for the next couple of days before the warmth returns later this week - the highest of the temperatures possibly in the east.

A perfect summer's day and the warmest since May last year with a high of 27C. It felt incredibly hot earlier in the afternoon so badminton and table tennis was left till much later in the evening. Recently it was a beautiful summer night but the wind has picked up and some clouds are making enrodes ahead of the cold front. The good news is that the forecast is for more delightful summer weather - especially Thursday and Friday. Let's all hope that this isn't the last of our summer !

I hope everybody enjoyed today's fantastic weather and tennis! Tomorrow and Tuesday should see temperatures into the mid-high 20s in a number of parts of the country

It's been a pleasant enough day here and huge improvement from yesterday's autumnal conditions. The outlook for this week doesn't look too bad either but I would imagine low pressure will return by the start of the next.

[b]JUNE...[/b] Overall, close to average or slightly above, following a settled and warm start, the unsettled period should prevail for another week or two (with some bright and warm interludes at times) before possibly turning drier and warmer later in the month. Temperatures 0.5C below to 0.75C above average. CET 14.9C. Rainfall generally 85-90%. Possibly some thundery downpours at times. Sunshine between 5-10% above average. [b]JULY...[/b] An overall warm month, at times hot with the possibility of heatwaves - mainly in the south - but there is also a possibility of some unsettled and cool spells inbetween. The best of the heat and settled conditions is expected for the latter half of the month - at times humid and thundery. Temperatures 0.25 to 1.25 above average. CET 17.0C. Rainfall 65-85% across southern regions, 75- 90% north west. Sunshine 5-15% above average. [b]AUGUST[/b][b]... [/b]Average or slightly above. Some warm or hot spells, possibly frequent but fairly brief. Atlantic low pressure could be influential at times and possibly some cooler and unsettled weather to make for an average month temperature wise. Temperatures 0.25 below to 0.5C above average. Rainfall 85-90% in the south to 95% in the north west. Sunshine 0-5% above average. JUNE - MORE DETAILED FORECAST (WEEK 2 ONWARDS) Second week: Unsettled with rain affecting many parts of the British Isles, some windy weather too but there should also be some sunny and clear spells from time to time for some parts. Temperatures below the norm. Third week: Staying unsettled with some flooding possible in prone areas. Possibly drier in the far north west. Potentially turning a little settled later with temperatures on the rise. Final week: Generally more settled with just a few showers in places at times and the odd front affecting the very west. Sunny and calm conditions and quite warm temperatures and at times hot. JULY First week: After some unsettled weather, it should turn more settled with much warmer and drier conditions. Temperatures by the end of the period could be in the high 20s in the south. Second week: Staying settled and warm or hot for much of the period. Temperatures on occasions could reach the low 30s in some locations in the south. Mostly dry other than the odd shower and plenty of sunshine for most. Third week: Possibly starting unsettled but low pressure may then make enrodes from the NW bringing some changeable conditions with some precipitation to NWrn areas. It may stay warmer and drier in southern and eastern areas but low pressure should be more influential as the period goes on. Final week: Possibly starting changeable with periods of rainfall at times. Temperatures possibly a little disapointing but it could be warm in any sunny intervals. Turning more settled and warmer later. AUGUST: Second week: Intially quite bright with a mixture of sunshine/cloud but there is also the risk of showers. Pleasant temperatures in the sunshine -especially in the south. Low pressure making enrodes into the NW bringing unsettled and wetter conditions. Later, high pressure may bring settled and warm conditions across England and Wales whilst Scotland and NI remain prone to rainfall and stay cool. Third week: Starting mostly settled and warm in the south whilst northern areas remain cooler and more unsettled. Then, it may turn more settled and warm/hot for most before becoming thundery and humid. Final week: A changeable period, with a chance of one or two brief warm spells and some dry weather but also a likelyhood for unsettled conditions resulting in some wet, windy and cool weather from time to time.

1st June: Today is the first day of summer 2013. After a cold theme to the first 5 months of the year, will 2013 and bring a well over-due good summer? Today, there was a few heavy showers earlier in the morning and afternoon and some passing cloudy intervals but during the evening there was a good deal of late, summer sunshine and blue skies. Around dusk, about half of the sky was clear with some patches of cloud cover around - quite similar just now with some groups of clouds moving in from the west. Tomorrow could be a cool, cloudy day but in general the coming days should be on the settled side. 2nd June: Another nice summer's day with calm, bright and largely clear conditions for much of the day with some particular pleasant conditions and clear skies this afternoon and evening. It was fairly clear earlier around dusk but now it has turned a little more overcast. The coming days look mainly settled, mostly dry with perhaps a few showers and pleasant temperatures too. 3rd June: Yet another good day in what has been a pretty pleasant spell of early summer weather. It was fairly cloudy but bright this morning/noon but it turned even brighter as clouds began to seperate on a warm afternoon. It did turn a bit cloudier once more this afternoon with a few light showers before turning clearer again during another nice evening. Just now conditions are calm, a mixture of clear patches with stars and thin cloud cover. This week looks set to be settled, largely dry and fairly warm. A much better start to summer this year!!! 4th June: Another fantastic summer's day with a high of 21C. There was plenty of clear blue skies and real look and feeling of summer. Just a few small white clouds sprinkled across the sky. Feeling very pleasant in the warm temperatures with a nice breeze. A little bit cloudier now. The rest of this week looks set to be dry, settled and fairly warm. June 2013; so far so good. 5th June: Not as good as yesterday. It was pretty warm with a high of 20C in the early afternoon. There was a bit of brightness and blue skies for a time around noon but it was quite humid and became largely cloudy with a few spots of rain. A few smaller clear patches appeared in the evening, but now it is a clear night other than a few small, isolated clouds. Some more settled and warm weather to come!!! 6th June: A marvelous summer day! Quite hazy blue skies with fluffy clouds this morning but it was a stunning warm (but breezy in Fife) day with plenty of glorious sunshine over the rich summer countryside. In the sky, there were cirrus clouds and a few small medium-level clouds in certain parts of the sky. It was a perfect day to sit outside and have a drive through Fife! The evening was fantastic with another amazing sunset on the drive home. Fantastic colours in the sky with a hazy pink/purple on the horizon and classic summery late evening skyscapes with cirrus clouds and other clouds with various different colours on them across different parts of the sky as the sun slowly set to the NW. It's a fantastic summer's night with barely a cloud to be seen. The good weather is set to continue! 7th June: Another stunning summer's day with nothing but unspoilt sunshine and blue skies (a variety of a few fair weather clouds in sections of the sky at times). A warm day, a slight breeze and maximum temperatures of 20C. Another calm, mostly lear night. The sunset and arrival of darkness is later and slower at this time of year and there is still some light outside, long after sunset. Cloudy looking north towards the Trossachs and beyond but in general there is only a few small, thin clouds in the clear sky and some cirrus clouds. At this time of year, it is always fascinating to watch the different colours between clouds. The fine weatheris here to stay for at least another 2-3 days but the during the middle of next week it is going to be much more unsettled. 8th June: A warm day with a maximum of 22C and plenty of sunshine and blue skies. In the afternoon/evening there was stunning clear, blue skies with a few white fluffy cliuds and some cumulonimbus clouds on occasions. At 10pm there was another stunning sunset at Queen's view with firey colours towards the mountains near and beyond Loch Lomond. Barely a cloud in the sky away from the east where there was an area of cloud cover which gradually became thinner. The colours at dusk are amazing with pale blue/green to the north/west and the rest of the sky tonight did not have the same deep darkness of nights in other times of the year. There was a purple haze to the southern horizon at sunset. The clouds to the east did not detract any feeling away from the fine clear summer evening whilst other clouds blend into the night sky - some clouds did stand out however - as darkness makes enrodes slowly. Now it is aalm, clear, starry night with barely a cloud in the sky. It has been a fantastic spell of summer weather. Let's hope there'll be more spells like this to end the run of inconsistent and below par summers from 2007. 9th June: Another stunning day! This summer has got off to a fantastic start. Plenty of sunshine and clear blue skies, but a hazier looking blue sky than yesterday and here seemed to be less clouds in the sky aswell. The day ended with another classic summer sunset as daylight slowly waned into night. It's another calm, clear night with some thin cloud cover blending with the sky. Tomorrow could be the last day of this settled period before things turn unsettled. 10th June: A dry, but coolr and cloudier day in this spell of fine early summer weather. Much of the day was calm but there was a thin covering of cloud. Some brightness did come through the clouds and in the afternoon for a time he clouds began to seperate and there was some sunshine and blue skies but it didn't last too long. In the evening, for a time it looked like it might rain. Just now it might actually be clear but the hazy night sky makes it hard to distinguish the presence of clouds but I assume clouds are seperated than earlier. A nice calm night too. Tomorrow, cloud cover and some rain will spread from the west. The next coming days are set to be unsettled. 11th June: Today certainly saw a return to predominately cloudy, dull and at times damp conditions. Certainly cooler and a bit darker compared to the days during the fantastic spell which lasted for the first third of the month. Rain was on and off today with a weak band moving in from the west and recently I could hear rain hitting the window. Unsettled for the coming days with some rain at times. 12th June: A better day than yesterday as the persistent rain cleared to the north. During the day some brightness and clearer patches developed through the moisture filled clouds. And during the evening it became mostly clear with fewer and fewer clouds. Just now it is a calm and a clear night. Still some brightness before midnight and the stars are coming out. Just a few thin and small, isolated strips of white clouds. A southerly tracking jet is resulting in more unsttled conditions. 13th June: The unsettled spell continues. There was not much rain today but there was some cloudy skies (but it wasn't all that dark). It was also pretty breeze. However conditions became a bit clearer later in the evening and parts of the sky became clear during the evening with thinner clouds. Just now it is half clear/loudy and much calmer. The stars are out but there are some areas of thin orange cloud. Tomorrow is looking showery. 14th June: Low pressure still in influene and will still be in control for a while yet. A breezy day with clous being blown across the sky - mostly cloudy; at times grey - but some clearer and brighter spells developed for a time before being blown away. During the evening increased showery activity moved in from the south west and for much of the evening and this night - it has been overcast and damp. Some more unsettled weather to come but Saturday could be a decent day. 15th June: For the morning and into the early afternoon a front moving in from the south west stalled and brought heavy, persistent rain and dull, overcast and quite breezy conditions. In the evening some clear and bright patches and spells developed through the clouds - although the ground remainded damp and it was still quite breezy - and later this evening and recently, for spells it was largely clear. But all in all, today was more autumnal than summer but tomorrow is looking like a better day - but only a breif spell. 16th June: There was some glorious sunny spells with mostly clear, blue skies this morning and early afternoon - a bit later it became generally mostly cloudy with some brief clear intervals as periods of medium-level cloud cover prevailed. It was quite warm too. Recently skies have become largely clear and starry on a calm night with just a few scattered clouds at times. Tomorrow, mostly dry, maybe a shower and quite warm. 17th June: The forecast was for brightness and sunny spells but today turned out to be dry, quite warm and muggy, calm but mostly cloudy with overcast medium-level cloud cover for much of the day - with some light rain. Tomorrow again should be dry, quiet warm and maybe some brightness. Possibly staying dry for another day. 18th June: Today started quite cloudy and benign like yesterday but gradually the cloud cover began to thin and break up leading to an evening of blue skies, sunshine with just a few groups of thin, fair weather cloud. As the summer solstice approaches, sunset and dusk is late and it is a long process to darkness. A pruple haze to the eastern sky around sunset. Just now it is a calm and mostly clear night - just a few thin, almost transparent patches of cloud is parts of the night sky. The weather could be decent for the next two days before turning unsettled. 19th June: A promising start with intervals of sunshine and blue skies but in the afternoon and early evening it became more overcast before sunshine and blue skies soon began to breakthrough. This lead to a lovely, calm evening with clear blue skies - cirrus clouds and some faint, thin clouds in parts of the sky. The moon was out in the daylight in the evening. After the long and late transition of day to night, it is currently a calm, clear night, with some faint clouds blending with the moon in the west. Turning unsettled. 20th June: The last of the warms days. Some hazy, cloud cover this morning, influenced by a front bringing rain to NW Scotland but in the afternoon the sky was hazy with some clear patches - generally bright and it was quite sunny for a time. There was a brief shower in the afternoon - qute muggy. This evening and just now it has become overcast because of some rain moving in tonight - the start of unsettled weather. 21st June: The longest day of the year. It turned out better than I expected, with some forecasts going for a weak front of patchy rain to move northwards into Scotland. I didn't notice any rain but I recall this morning being on the cloudy side. However, later in the afternoon and early evening there was some fine summer conditions with warm sunshine, a breeze and clear blue skies with scattered, white fluffy clouds. However, the conditions faded away as a ceilling of grey, high in the sky rolled in from the west ahead of an area of low pressure. The sky to the west was just a plain sheet of grey. Just now the sky seems to be a misty, overcast with some rough bits of cloud here and there. Tomorrow should be a pretty wet day as low pressure dominates. 22nd June: The rain front passed over during the early hours, and some other features and showers followed behind in the morning brining some heavy rain for periods. Thereafter, there was not much in the way of rain as most of the showers missed here - it was mostly cloudy, blown in from the west - but early in the afternoon there was some fine sunshine, blue skies and white shower clouds. Just now, clouds are moving across the sky from west to east: quite thin andrough and not very low clouds with clear patches inbetween. After tomorrow, it could be settled and quiet for a period. 23rd June: More like April or October than the 23rd of June! Low pressure situated just to the east of the country. Here and at Loch Goil there wasn't any rain at all in comparison to NE Scotland. There was quite a brisk and chilly breeze. A mostly cloudy day with a textured/rough layer of cloud at 2500-3000ft moving fast across the sky driven by a strong wind. However, the cloud cover was thin enough for it to be bright and for some pockets of sunshine and blue skies to appear from time to time. Just now, it is much calmer, still mostly cloudy but much thinner and still compared to earlier with some clear pockets. With low pressure to the east, NWly winds should be across the country tomorrow - it should be mostly dry and temperatures in themid-high teens. High pressure to be more influential later. 24th June: A much better day. No rain that I'm aware of and much, much calmer than yesterday aswell as bright, sunny and clear conditions resembling a decent summer day. Clear blue skies for much of the day with some white clouds. Just now it is a very calm and a very clear night with the moon and stars out. A cold night is on the cards and the air is much clearer looking than the hazy/fizzy night skies earlier this month. Just one one or two small, isolated clouds. High pressure should allow for a settled period but I suspect it will turn unsettled again. 25th June: A cloudier day with largely overcast skies for the morning and afternoon. Some brightness with a few short, darker periods through the clouds. In the evening, the clouds began to separate and it was a decent June evening with some sunshine and blue skies coming through aswell as fewer clouds - the quality of the blue skies was of a hazy variety. Just now there is a few patches of thin cloud which has rolled over but there clearer skies on either side. Staying settled for another couple of days 26th June: The forecast was for it to be fairly cloudy but it turned out to be a delightful day, especially in the afternoon and evening. A pleasant enough start, a brief cloudier period but in the afternoon and evening it was warm, sunny, clear blue skies- a little hazy - and very few clouds and a refreshing breeze. Skies were clear enough to illustarte the late summer sunset/dusk with just a few streaks of distant pruple, thin clouds in a hazy late evening. Cloud cover has increased as a result of an approaching weather front - some dampness tomorrow and Friday. 27th June: Today started on a typically Atlantic note with grey skies, wet surfaces and steady, persistent rainfall as a result of a weather front. Into the afternoon and early evening, it remained mostly overcast, damp surfaces, a bit of a breeze but the air seemed to be a little humid. Later in the evening there was some periodic patches of clear, blue skies for spells but it was fairly brief and it is now a calm and cloudy but dry night. Another area of rain is set to arrive tomorrow but it could be clearer for the afternoon. The unsettled situations means weather fronts could be quite frequent thereafter. 28th June: A front brough cloud cover and rain for a time this morning but it dried up in the afternoon and evening other than a few spots of drizzle. Quite breezy and not particulary warm. It was mostly cloudy other than some crossing clear patches and now it is mostly cloudy with just a few clear pockets. Tomorrow should see some cloudy and damp conditions and pretty cool aswell. Weather fronts should keep things cloudy, damp and cool for the next couple of days. 29th June: Not an exciting day with a ceilling of cloud cover across much of the areas for most of the day. There was a little bit of brightness through the cloud cover but generally it was just grey as a result of a weak front crossing the country which bright a little bit of rain for a time. It was a cool day too. Just now it is mostly cloudy, but the cloud cover is thinner with a few small, faint clear pockets moving from west-east across the sky. The atlantic is set to dominate... 30th June: A weak cold front brough cold, overcast, breezy and at times drizzly conditions. A very grey day. Now the front has passed, mostly cloudy skies but calmer with some clear patches. June has been a mixed month with some fine, settled, bright and warm summer weather early in the month aswell as some unsettled, breezy, damp, cool, showery and more autumnal conditions aswell. July is set to start on an unsettled note.

I hope everyone enjoyed the fantastic start to summer this year. Today it's back to the usual dull and damp conditions but I remain hopeful for more warm weather later this month.

Another stunning day here with temperatures into the low 20s for much of the afternoon and early evening. The pleasant temperatures and slight breeze made for a perfect evening out in the glorious sunshine!

It's refreshing to see summer start on a pleasant and seasonal note for once. The rest of this week is looking good too except for some eastern coasts. Fingers crossed we can keep this up during the rest of summer!