Flaming washout! It’s set to be the wettest June ever

AS we reach the middle of June, you may have hoped there’d be some sunshine on the horizon.

But those thinking of sticking their galoshes in the wardrobe for the summer would be well advised to keep them handy.

Forecasters say the rest of the month is set to be a washout – with this June likely to be the wettest since records began.

Bookmakers are so sure about the dismal forecast that they have suspended betting on June 2016 being the soggiest ever.

The warning will come as a blow to tennis fans dreaming of a sunny Wimbledon at the end of the month and music lovers banking on a balmy Glastonbury. It follows a weekend in which rain deluged the Queen’s birthday parade, music festivals and sports fixtures.

Up to a third of a month’s worth of rain was set to fall in just one hour across the North West, the Midlands and East Anglia yesterday.

And sadly there will be no let up from the heavy downpours, thunderstorms and flooding which have hit much of Britain in the past few days.

The rain front will last until at least the weekend, with risks of thunderstorms in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ‘After a dry start to June, the rest of the month does look to be unsettled,’ said Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna yesterday.

‘For this week the weather is looking wetter and wetter, with an increase in thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.

‘A yellow warning has been placed on parts of the North West of England, Midlands and East Anglia, seeing between 1 and 20mm (¾in) of rainfall in one hour today.’ The average rainfall in East Anglia this month is 2in ( 3mm), rising to almost two-and-a-half inches (62mm) in the Midlands and more than 3in (84mm) in the North West.

And anyone heading to this year’s Royal Ascot, which starts today, would be wise to take their brolly, with heavy showers predicted throughout the week.

Ladbrokes are offering odds of just 4/6 that rain will fall every day during the meeting.

Spokesman Alex Donohue said: ‘The odds of this June being a record washout got so low we stopped taking bets.

‘As far as our weather odds experts are concerned, June 2016 will go into the record books but for the wrong reasons.’