July

• July was the warmest such month since records begun in 1659 and the sunniest since records began in 1881. However it was also one of the twelve driest Julies in the past century. 36.5C was reported on the 19th at Wisley, Surrey, the highest temperature ever recorded in July with fifteen days recording above 30C in the UK during the month; seven days consecutively above 30C reported from the 16th followed by four more from the 24th. A remarkable month that surpassed many other notably hot periods in the last few decades.   
• 2nd-6th July A thundery period after a very hot start to the month (temps were over 5C above average in central England in the first week). For an article about some of storms and their effects see the page just here
• 22nd July saw some quite severe thunderstorms sweep across parts of the south and east. Gusts over 60mph were reported in Lincs as well as short term rainfall totals of about three inches in Oxon. An in depth article about this event by Paul Blight can be found here.
• Further significant thunderstorms occured on the 25th-27th as well. An article about these can be found here.

August

• August was an unusual month dominated by a northerly flow but it still managed a CET close to average and above 16.0C, partly due to warm sea temperatures.
• 13th August saw some heavy rain totals across parts of Surrey in thunderstorms, giving severe flooding in some areas, mainly around Woking. Totals above 100mm included 118mm at Virginia Water, 111mm at Bagshot and 102mm at Ash. A funnel cloud was also noted off Clacton and possible ball lightning observed in Knaphill, Surrey. 
• 16th-18th August saw an area of low pressure develop off the Brest Peninsula. Some heavy rain affected parts of Cornwall and Devon as a result in the period with as much as 53mm falling at Penzance, in the 40h ending 09Z on the 17th. See the 00Z image for the 17th here: http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/2006/brack/bracka20060817.gif. It also gave some strong winds in the W Channel at times and whilst they were nothing especially out of the ordinary, this article, by Nick Madina, well makes the point that accurate forecasting and good planning are essential for owners of small boats and yachts as they make the Channel crossing at any time of the year.

September

• September 2006 has been an exceptionally warm month; by the 20th the CET temperature was almost 3C above average. It looks set to be the warmest September month since at least 1949.
• 13th-14th September saw a period of unsettled thundery weather across much of the south as a very warm plume of air moved up from France and destablised across the south. An article about this weather by Paul Blight can be found here.
• 21st September saw the remains of ex-hurricane Gordon move up across the extreme west of England and Wales and then right across Ireland. Gusts to 80mph were reported with local damage and disruption in places. A more detailed article about this event is available here. 

October

• 26th October saw a low pressure area move up across the UK, deepening notably as it did so. An article about the event can be found here.
• 31st October- 1 November An area of low pressure moved across Scotland into the N Sea, deepening as it did so. Although winds were not especially strong across Scotland, gusts of up to 101mph were recorded at North Rona and 76mph at Sule Skerry. As it moved into the N Sea and high pressure moved in the gradient was especially strong with a gust of 97mph at Ekofisk Oil Platform in the north North Sea. As a result a storm surge developed down the N Sea affecting the E Anglian and the Dutch coasts with localised minor damage.     
• October overall was a very mild month, in fact the equal 3rd mildest ever recorded when using the Hadley CET criteria, at 13.0C. As a whole the eight month period from March-October 2006 was the warmest ever recorded.   

November

• November was a very sunny month with records established across parts of eastern and central England and up to 136 hours at Bognor Regis (W Sussex).

December

• The first half of December was exceptionally mild, The Central England Temperature (CET) was around 3C above average, ensuring that 2006 was a year of record warmth across the UK with the CET 0.23C higher than the previous record CET figure in 1990. 
• 7th December saw a tornado (rated as around T4-5) cross NW London; properties in Kensal Rise were affected with up to 200 residents made homeless. The total track length was 2.7km from near Willesden Junction to Willesden Lane Cemetery. An article about this event will be posted up shortly on Wiseweather.
• 11th December was very wet indeed in parts of the NW of England. The Lake District reported as much as 180mm in the 18 hours from 18Z on the 10th and 12Z on the 11th, specifically at Honister Pass, a quarry near Styhead, this all from orographic rainfall. In North Wales Capel Curig reported 115mm in the 24 hour period 06Z-06Z.  
• 29th-31st December saw an unsettled and at times stormy period for some. Many New Year celebrations were cancelled due to strong winds and heavy rain, especially in southern and central Scotland. High gusts included those at Malin Head in Ireland (92mph wind on December 31st) and there were reports of tornado damage, both in Reading (Berks)and Crumlin (nr Belfast, N Ireland).A more detailed article about these events can be found here .