However from the middle of the month the weather quickly deteriorated, with low pressure dominating our weather - which invariably leads to rain or showers. In fact the area of low pressure which came across the UK during the second half of the month was very unusual indeed.

In fact it was the deepest late June system for 60 years and led to localised flooding and uprooting of trees in the southwest if the country.

Unfortunately July has continued to be very unsettled with temperatures below average and above average rainfall. We are reaching critical point with regards the outlook for the summer, with my long range forecast for a good summer beginning to look a bit shaky.

The trouble is, the atmosphere is blocked, as I thought it would be earlier this year. However the problem is that we are currently blocked with low pressure as opposed to high pressure which obviously makes a huge difference to the type of weather.

The 3rd or 4th week of July can sometimes be critical when it comes to judging what the rest of the summer may be like. By that time the atmosphere often maintains the weather pattern has already become established. So if high pressure has re-asserted itself, then that bodes well for August.

But if low pressure is still dominating, it can be quite a bearish sign for the rest of the summer. We shall see. But one thing never changes. Long range forecasts are incredibly difficult to get right, and often need to be taken with an incredibly large pinch of salt.

You can e-mail Look North's popular weatherman Paul Hudson with pictures, weather stories and suggested linked locations for his regional weather map.

Contact:

paultheweatherman@bbc.co.uk

Although Paul cannot respond to every message he will pick the most interesting and use them on TV and Radio.