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The notorious British weather
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Email this pageIt is a national pastime for the British to talk, (and mainly moan) about the UK’s weather. It is often an initial topic of conversation, which borders on obsession because the weather in the UK is so changeable.
As an Island Britain’s weather is strongly influenced by the surrounding seas and oceans that keep the summers relatively cool and help to fight off the cold in winter.
Find out What Britain’s weather is like today
Although Britain is synonymous with rain, it actually doesn’t experience as much as you might think! Rainfall in Britain varies widely. The Lake District is the wettest part, with the Scottish Highlands, and the Pennines following closely behind. However, East Anglia, much of the Midlands, eastern and north-eastern England, and parts of the south-east receive less than 7cm of rain a year - with the sunniest parts of the United Kingdom along the south coast of England.
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The key factor for most Britains is the variation in the length of the day through the year. As the UK is a relatively small country the day length does not differ dramatically from place to place but there is a marked difference between the amounts of daylight in the summer months to those of the winter months.
In the height of summer you can expect to experience at least 14 hours daylight
in comparison to the winter months of around seven hours.
- Summer Solstice (Shortest Day) - 21st December
- Spring Equinox - 20th or 21st March
- Winter Solstice (Longest Day) - 21st June
- Autumnal Equinox - 22nd or 23rd September
