by EFAS Meteorological Data Collection Centre,

June 2021 was characterized by higher than normal mean sea surface pressure nearly everywhere in the EFAS domain except around the Black Sea, Iceland, the Iberian Peninsula, and northwest Africa, where it was slightly below the long-term mean. Monthly precipitation totals were below the long-term mean at Iceland, Great Britain and Ireland, around the Baltic Sea, north of the central and in the southern and eastern Mediterranean region, and around or above normal elsewhere in the EFAS domain. The monthly mean air temperature was above normal nearly everywhere in the EFAS domain except around the Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean region and in parts of the Iberian Peninsula and northwest Africa.

In the beginning of June, high pressure occurred in the majority of the EFAS domain with mostly undefined circulation patterns. A weak upper-level low-pressure system occurred over the Black Sea associated with intense precipitation. The situation with weak near-surface pressure gradients remained for the first decade of June, even if some weak low-pressure systems reached Iceland. Weak upper-level troughs with an unstable layer triggered partly very heavy, convective rain, primarily over central Europe. By nature of convective precipitation, some locations were hit several times and others received no rain at all. With the start of June’s second decade, a low-pressure system moved from the Atlantic Ocean via Iceland to Scandinavia. A steep trough developed over the Baltic, was cut off and the resulting upper-level low-pressure system moved to the Aegean Sea. Another low-pressure system followed on a similar track but moved to the Norwegian Sea. The upper-level low-pressure system moved from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea, while precipitation intensified. An old and weak upper-level low-pressure system was reactivated westward of the Iberian Peninsula and caused continuous rain there. A low-pressure system moved from the Atlantic southward of Iceland to the Norwegian Sea, while from the corresponding upper-level trough a low-pressure system was cut-off westward of the Iberian Peninsula. A weak low-pressure system moved from the Atlantic Ocean to the Bay of Biscay. The near-surface system vanished while the upper-level part formed a weak system over western Europe. An upper-level low-pressure system was dripped off over Great Britain and Ireland from a system located over the Norwegian Sea. It moved via the Bay of Biscay to central Europe and triggered again heavy precipitation till the end of the month.

In June 2021, the highest precipitation totals were observed in western and central Europe and north of the Black Sea (Figure 1). No or almost no precipitation fell in the African and Middle East parts of the EFAS domain. Monthly precipitation totals above the long-term mean occurred from the Iberian Peninsula to western-central Europe, around the Black Sea and in parts of eastern Europe, Scandinavia as well as northwest Africa (Figure 2). Monthly totals below the long-term mean were reported over northeast Africa and the Middle East, eastern Europe, southern Scandinavia, Great Britain and Ireland, Iceland as well as in the central Mediterranean Region towards the western Carpathian Mountains.

The monthly mean air temperature ranged from -4.4°C to 38.9°C with the highest values in the southern parts of the EFAS domain. The lowest temperature values were reported in the northern and mountainous parts (Figure 3). Air temperature anomalies ranged from -8.3°C to 11.9°C (Figure 4). Monthly mean air temperatures below the long-term mean occurred in northwest Africa along the Atlantic coast, at the Iberian Peninsula, Iceland, east of the Ural Mountains, around the Black Sea, and the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, while positive temperature anomalies appeared in the remaining part of the EFAS domain.