Although this month hasn't been as dry here as it has been in other parts of the UK, we still haven't had any recorded rainfall since 20 June 2018 at Edinburgh Gogarbank and since 21 June 2018 at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.

This means that Edinburgh Gogarbank has now been completely dry for the last 8 days in a row whilst the botanic gardens in Edinburgh have been completely dry for the last seven days in a row. Even at that, this current dry spell has not been as long as the dry spell which other parts of the UK are experiencing just now but nevertheless, this is still a very long dry spell by our more typical standards.

Even when we last had some recorded rain at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh, that amounted to just 0.2 mm on 21 June 2018 so that both stations have had 8 days in a row with 0.2 mm or less of recorded rainfall. That is important because an absolute drought is defined as a period of 15 days or more in a row with no more than 0.2 mm of recorded rainfall.

This means that for both Edinburgh Gogarbank and the botanic gardens in Edinburgh, unless we get at least one day up until and including next Thursday (5 July 2018) where there is more than 0.2 mm of recorded rainfall, we will be going into which would then be our second absolute drought of the year, following on from the one which ended on the very first day of this month at both of those stations after the very dry May which we had.

Just a couple of days ago when the models were going for our weather to turn wetter and more unsettled, that second absolute drought was looking very unlikely in this part of the world but according to the latest GEFS ensemble charts for here, it is now looking increasingly likely that we will now end up going into that second absolute drought of the year at the end of next week.

As a reminder, here is the latest rainfall totals for here:

For Edinburgh Gogarbank, this month's total so far is 55.6 mm, with the total for this summer so far standing at 55.6 mm and the total for this year so far standing at 323.8 mm as at 9pm this evening.

For the botanic gardens in Edinburgh, this month's total so far is 51.6 mm, with the total for this summer so far standing at 51.6 mm and the total for this year so far standing at 322.8 mm as at 9pm this evening.

At my location, assuming no unexpected developments today or tomorrow, there will by months end have been 24 bone-dry days this month, and of those that weren't, four saw less than 0.5 mm and the remaining one 0.6 mm. 

So it will (almost certainly) be a final total of 2.1 mm for the month. I can't find a local total lower than that for any June going back to 1957. Nearest contenders are 1962 with 6.2 mm, and 1995 with 6.9 mm.

August 1995 saw 4.6 mm here, so it's been even drier than that famous month. Very impressive!

p.s. OT but the local sunshine totals, despite the long run of cloudless days, don't look to be as noteworthy; probably near the 270 hour mark for the month as a whole, which would place it 7th in the rankings 1947-2018. This being due to the first three weeks only recording 121 hours which was a bit below the long-term average.

6.6mm here.

Only recorded 3.0mm.

Whilst watching my 10 stations  for mean temps ,I have listed the precipitation for month. 

Alton          3.0 mm

Canvey Island     3.0 mm

Cheadle Hulme   6.6mm

Clevedon Weather  3.3 mm

Darwen       24.  mm

Hexam        16.5 mm

Mount Sorrel  1.6mm

Mansfield Woodhouse  25.7 mm

Peasedown St John    6.3 mm

Treviskey Redruth      6.9 mm..

For Edinburgh Gogarbank, this is 90.4% of the 1981-2010 average for that station whilst the botanic gardens in Edinburgh had 84.2% of its 1981-2010 average rainfall during June.

Overall, this shows that June was a slightly drier than month at both of those stations in terms of the actual rainfall amounts though not to anything like the same extent as it was in other parts of the UK.

To that end, Edinburgh Gogarbank had 8 official rain days during June and this also shows that it was a dry month since that amounts to just 76.9% of the 1981-2010 average. It is a similar story at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh which had just 7 official rain days with that amounting to just 72.9% of the 1981-2010 average.

Over the summer so far, Edinburgh Gogarbank has had a total of 55.6 mm of rain which is 28.7% of the 1981-2010 average whilst the botanic gardens in Edinburgh has had 51.6 mm of rain which is 27.7% of the 1981-2010 average.

In addition to that, Edinburgh Gogarbank has had 8 official rain days during this summer so far which is 25.2% of the 1981-2010 average whereas the botanic gardens in Edinburgh has had 7 official rain days during this summer so far which is 24.3% of the 1981-2010 average.

Over the year so far, Edinburgh Gogarbank has had 323.8 mm of rain which is 79.5% of where we should be according to the 1981-2010 averages. Meanwhile, the botanic gardens in Edinburgh has had a total of 322.8 mm of rain during this year so far which is 85.6% of where we should be according to the 1981-2010 averages.

Final total for June 2018 here is 23.5mm (39% of average).  The driest June I've recorded since 2006, and the sixth driest June in the last 36 years here.

Finished on 18.8mm, 34% of average which is only driest since 2010 as the exceptional period spanned two months with only 0.2mm recorded from 14th May to 13th June. Exactly half of the monthly total fell on the 21st and since then there has been another 11 day spell with nothing recorded.

Total for May/June was 31.2mm. Only drier two month periods I can find at Dyce were Feb/March 2003 with 28mm plus July/Aug 2003 with 30mm and July/Aug 1983 with 31mm. However the total for May/June 2018 at Dyce will be higher than what I recorded as there was a heavy shower of around 3-4mm there on the evening of the 15th that only gave a trace here. Hence will also be wetter than Feb/March 1973 which had 32mm at Dyce, July/Aug 1955 with 33mm and June/July 1976 with 34mm.

Earlier records show only 30mm at Old Aberdeen over Jan/Feb 1891 but the record dry year of 1921 did not manage any two-month period as dry.

As April was dry too there's only been 41.8mm in the 79 days since 14th April. A huge turnaround from recent years where it's been almost impossible to string more than a few dry days together.