The United Kingdom straddles the higher mid-latitudes between 49° and 61°N on the western seaboard of Europe. Since the UK is always in or close to the path of the polar front jet stream, frequent changes in pressure and unsettled weather are typical. Many types of weather can be experienced in a single day. The basic climate of the UK through the year is wet and cool in winter, spring, and autumn with frequent cloudy skies, and drier and warmer (though usually not hot) in summer.
The climate in the United Kingdom is defined as a humid temperate oceanic climate, or Cfb on the Köppen climate classification system, a classification it shares with most of north-west Europe. (direct: Final Revised Paper ) Regional climates are influenced by proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and by latitude. Northern Ireland, Wales and western parts of England and Scotland are generally the mildest, wettest, and windiest regions of the UK, being closest to the Atlantic Ocean, and temperature ranges there are seldom extreme. Eastern areas are drier and less windy. Northern areas are generally cooler and wetter and have slightly larger temperature ranges than southern areas, which are generally warmer and drier. The south of England is the least exposed to polar air masses from the north, so winters are the least cold, though heavy overcast conditions are common. Summer temperatures in the south of England are cool and range from .
If the air masses are strong enough in their respective areas during the summer, there can sometimes be a large difference in temperature between the far north of Scotland (including its islands) and the south-east of England – often a difference of 10–15 °C (18–27 °F) but sometimes as much as 20 °C (36 °F) or more.
England Averages England generally has low maximum temperatures year round. England is also sunnier throughout the year than Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, the sunniest month is July, with an average of 193.5 hours. It rains on fewer days every month throughout the year than the rest of the UK, and rainfall totals are less in every month, with the driest month, May, averaging . The climate of south-west England displays a seasonal temperature variation, although it is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom with milder winters. Gales are less common in England compared to Scotland; however, on some occasions, there can be strong winds, and rarely, the non-tropical remains of Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms. Some events such as the Great Storm of 1987 occurred near the UK and caused damage in England. Rare summer heatwaves of 28 °C+ occur on occasion, but sustained is uncommon, due to the high latitude and cool maritime climate. London is vulnerable to climate change, and there is increasing concern among hydrological experts that London households may run out of water before 2050.
Extremes The highest temperature recorded in England (and in the United Kingdom) occurred on 19 July 2022 at Coningsby, Lincolnshire. The lowest temperature ever recorded in England occurred on 10 January 1982 in Newport, Shropshire. The highest temperature recorded in spring is which was recorded on 26 May 2026 at Kew Gardens, London. Absolute temperature ranges for EnglandMonthMaximum temperaturesMinimum temperaturesTemperatureLocationDate (day/year)TemperatureLocationDate (day/year)JanuaryEynsford, Kent27/2003Newport, Shropshire10/1982FebruaryKew Gardens, London26/2019Scaleby, Cumbria19/1892Ketton, Rutland8/1895MarchMepal, Cambridgeshire29/1968Houghall, County Durham4/1947AprilCamden Square, London16/1949Newton Rigg, Cumbria2/1917MayKew Gardens, London26/2026Lynford, Norfolk (4 May 1941)4/1941 and 11/1941JuneLingwood, Norfolk26/2026Santon Downham, Norfolk (1 Jun 1962)1/1962 and 3/1962JulyConingsby, Lincolnshire19/2022Kielder Castle, Northumberland17/1965AugustBrogdale, Faversham, Kent10/2003Kielder Castle14/1994SeptemberBawtry and Hesley Hall, South Yorkshire2/1906Santon Downham and Grendon Underwood, Buckinghamshire30/1969OctoberGravesend, Kent1/2011Wark, Northumberland17/1993NovemberChelmsford, Clacton-on-Sea, Galleywood, Halstead and Writtle, Essex; Cambridge; Mildenhall, Suffolk; and Tottenham, London5/1938Scaleby, Cumbria30/1912DecemberRM Chivenor, Devon2/1985Shawbury, Shropshire13/1981Penkridge, Staffordshire11/1994
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is warmer than Scotland throughout the year. Maximum temperatures are milder than in Wales from December to April, and milder than in England from December to February, but Northern Ireland is cooler during the rest of the year. Sunshine totals in every month are higher than those of Scotland, but lower than those of the rest of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is drier and has fewer rainy days than Scotland throughout the year, except in May, when it rains on more days. Northern Ireland is also drier than Wales in every month, yet it rains on more days. The rainiest month is January, when 17.8 days have more than of rain on average.
Below is a list of record temperatures for Northern Ireland, according to the UK Met Office. Both the highest and the lowest temperatures were set in Castlederg in County Tyrone. Absolute temperature ranges for Northern IrelandMonthMaximum temperaturesMinimum temperaturesTemperatureLocationCountyDate (day/year)TemperatureLocationCountyDate (day/year)JanuaryKnockarevanFermanagh26/2003MagherallyDown1/1979FebruaryBryansfordDown13/1998Garvagh and MoneydigLondonderry20/1955MarchArmaghArmagh29/1965KatesbridgeDown2/2001AprilBoom HallLondonderry26/1984KillylaneAntrim10/1998MayLisburnAntrim31/1922MoydamlaghtLondonderry7/1982JuneKnockarevanFermanagh25/2026Lough Navar ForestFermanagh4/1991CastledergTyroneJulyCastledergTyrone21/2021Lislap ForestTyrone17/1971AugustTandrageeArmagh2/1995KatesbridgeDown24/2014SeptemberCastledergTyrone8/2023KatesbridgeDown27/2020OctoberStrabaneTyrone10/1969Lough Navar ForestFermanagh18/1993NovemberMurloughDown3/1979, 1/2007 and 10/2015LisburnAntrim15/1919DecemberBallykellyLondonderry2/1948CastledergTyrone24/2010
Scotland
Scotland is generally cool compared to the rest of the UK. In the lowlands, an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) prevails, while in the mountains and in parts of Shetland, the summers get cool enough for the climate to be classified as subpolar oceanic (Cfc). As a whole, Scotland has average minimum temperatures just above zero in winter months and rather cool average highs of in summer. The Central Lowlands have higher temperatures during the summer than any other part of Scotland, and have also broken some records for the whole of the UK. Aviemore is considered one of the coldest inhabited places due to its inland location and an altitude of about . The wettest month in Scotland is January; most months are wetter than other parts of the UK, except for the late spring to early autumn months.
Below is a list of record temperatures for Scotland, according to the UK Met Office. Absolute temperature ranges for ScotlandMonthMaximum temperaturesMinimum temperaturesTemperatureLocationCouncil areaDate (day/year)TemperatureLocationCouncil areaDate (day/year)JanuaryAchfaryHighland28/2024 Braemar Aberdeenshire 10/1982FebruaryAboyneAberdeenshire21/2019BraemarAberdeenshire11/1895MarchAboyneAberdeenshire27/2012Logie ColdstoneAberdeenshire14/1958AprilInverailortHighland17/2003EskdalemuirDumfries and Galloway2/1917MayInverailortHighland25/2012BraemarAberdeenshire1/1927JuneOchtertyrePerth and Kinross18/1893DalwhinnieHighland9/1955JulyCharterhallScottish Borders19/2022LagganliaHighland15/1977AugustGreycrookScottish Borders9/2003LagganliaHighland21/1973SeptemberGordon CastleMoray1/1906DalwhinnieHighland26/1942OctoberTillypronieAberdeenshire3/1908DalwhinnieHighland28/1948NovemberLiberton; Royal Botanic GardenEdinburgh4/1946BraemarAberdeenshire14/1919DecemberAchfaryHighland28/2019AltnaharraHighland30/1995
Wales
Wales has warmer temperatures throughout the year than Northern Ireland and Scotland and has milder winter minima than England, but cooler winter maxima than Northern Ireland. Wales is wetter throughout the year than Northern Ireland and England, but has fewer rainy days than Northern Ireland; meaning that rainfall tends to be more intense. Wales is also drier than Scotland in every month apart from May, June and December, and there are fewer days with rain than in Scotland. Sunshine totals throughout the year are more than that of Scotland and Northern Ireland, but less than that of neighbouring England. May is the sunniest month, averaging 186.8 hours. The south-western coast is the sunniest part of Wales, averaging over 1700 hours of sunshine annually, with Tenby, Pembrokeshire, its sunniest town. The dullest time of year is between November and January and the sunniest between May and August. The least sunny areas are the mountains, some parts of which average less than 1200 hours of sunshine annually.Davies (2008) pp. 148–150 The prevailing wind is south-westerly. Coastal areas are the windiest, gales occur most often during winter, on average between 15 and 30 days each year, depending on location. Inland, gales average fewer than six days annually. Wales experiences long summer days and short winter days result of northerly latitudes (between 53° 43′ N and 51° 38′ N). Aberystwyth, at the midpoint of the country's west coast, has nearly 17 hours of daylight at the summer solstice. Daylight at midwinter there falls to just over seven and a half hours. The country's wide geographic variations cause localised differences in sunshine, rainfall and temperature. Average annual coastal temperatures reach and in low lying inland areas, lower. It becomes cooler at higher altitudes; annual temperatures decrease on average approximately each of altitude. Consequently, the higher parts of Snowdonia experience average annual temperatures of . Temperatures in Wales remain higher than would otherwise be expected at its latitude because of the North Atlantic Drift, a branch of the Gulf Stream. The ocean current, bringing warmer water to northerly latitudes, has a similar effect on most of north-west Europe. As well as its influence on Wales' coastal areas, air warmed by the Gulf Stream blows further inland with the prevailing winds. At low elevations, summers tend to be warm and sunny. Average maximum temperatures range between . Winters tend to be fairly wet, rainfall is excessive and the temperature usually stays above freezing. Spring and autumn feel quite similar and the temperatures tend to stay above – also the average annual daytime temperature. Rainfall patterns show significant variation. The further west, the higher the expected rainfall; up to 40 per cent more. At low elevations, rain is unpredictable at any time of year, although the showers tend to be shorter in summer. The uplands of Wales have most rain, normally more than 50 days of rain during the winter months (December to February), falling to around 35 rainy days during the summer months (June to August). Annual rainfall in Snowdonia averages between (Blaenau Ffestiniog) and (Snowdon's summit). The likelihood is that it will fall as sleet or snow when the temperature falls below and snow tends to be lying on the ground there for an average of 30 days a year. Snow falls several times each winter in inland areas but is relatively uncommon around the coast. Average annual rainfall in those areas can be less than .
Below is a list of record temperatures for Wales, according to the UK Met Office.