Your pictures: An unsettled start to summer

A rainbow made a colourful appearance in Bowness-on-Windermere

The first week of meteorological summer was unsettled across the north east of England and Cumbria.

Meteorological summer always begins on 1 June and ends on 31 August, and our Weather Watchers have been sharing photos of the new season.

Fair to say it has not been entirely sunshine and roses.

There was not a cloud in the sky on Holy Island

Birds needed to cool off in the warmer weather in Throckley, Newcastle upon Tyne

But rain clouds made an appearance in Sunderland

Analysis from Paul Mooney, Look North senior weather presenter

The weather conditions we experience at the Earth’s surface are driven by developments in the upper atmosphere.

One element of this is the jet stream, a belt of strong winds in the upper air that steers and influences the pressure patterns that largely determine the weather we experience.

During the first two or three days of meteorological summer the jet stream was way to the north of the UK, leaving us under the influence of high pressure resulting in generally fair weather, with temperatures into the low 20s across the North East and Cumbria.

The jet stream then moved further south to be sitting right over the UK, steering low pressure systems from the Atlantic towards us.

So, we not only have more unsettled weather, with convection clouds forming some heavy showers, but the wind direction has also resulted in suppressed temperatures with many places only making the mid-teens over recent days.

Longer term it looks like the weather may well remain fairly unsettled through much of June, but it’s not all bad news.

There will certainly be some sunshine between the showers and the sun is very strong at this time of year, so it’s a case of keeping the raincoat and the sun cream handy.

Wendy sent in a snap of the hail in Caldbeck, Cumbria

The wildlife took advantage of the summer sun in Middlesbrough

The sun broke through the clouds and trees in Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria

Four-legged friends were also out and enjoying the blue skies in Wallsend

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