London
Locations in London, United Kingdom (62 found)
London Weather Overview
London has a temperate climate
with distinct seasonal changes in weather, generally no extremes of hot and
cold and frequent light precipitation year round.
London had a micro-climate
known as an ‘urban heat island’, where the mass of heated buildings and people
result in temperatures that are a couple of degrees warmer than outside of the
city. As a result, London is one the warmest places in the UK and very rarely
sees snowfall in the city.
Also, contrary to popular belief,
average annual rainfall in London is not particularly high – Sydney, for
example has higher annual rainfall. It’s just that there are a high number of
those grey drizzly days… Total rainfall may not be that high, but the number of
‘rainy days’ is.
Mild and damp is a good way to
describe London’s climate.
Weather can vary a lot from year to
year; perhaps you might get a particularly cold winter, or a particularly wet
summer, or a very hot one. That’s the thing if you come to visit London; you
just don’t quite know what you’re going to get.
Summer weather:
Summers are quite variable in
London, with some years much better than others. Last summer (2007), for
example, was a particularly bad summer with lots of rain. 2003, on the other
hand was one of the hottest summers in recent memory with a record temperature
of 38°C.
The best way to describe a London
summer is unpredictable.
If visiting London in the summer,
you should be prepared for all eventualities. You could get a week of
continuous rain or just as likely a week of glorious sunshine and temperatures in the high 20s. It’s true that a good summer’s day in London is hard to beat,
but this good summer weather is notoriously unreliable. Perhaps this
unpredictability goes to explain why the weather is such a favoured topic of
conversation in England!
Average daily highs in peak summer –
July and August- are a favourable 22°C. Some days can see temperatures rise up
to and above 30°C during a fine spell of weather. Similarly a July day in the
mid-teens is not unheard of. The average low temperature in peak summer is
13°C.
Rainfall in summer is around 50 to
60mm per month, making it very marginally the driest time of year. Expect some
rain if you’re in town, but you may escape. Late summer can see evening
thunderstorms and short heavy downpours – at least this gets the rain out of
the way quickly rather than with the endless drizzle that can occur at other
times.
Winter weather:
Winters in London are cold, without
being very cold. Generally the last few winters have been milder than average –
global warming? who knows?
Frosts and snow are rarer in the
city than elsewhere due to the ‘urban heat island’ phenomenon. Average temperature
in the winter is 5°C, with highs averaging 7°C and lows 2°C. It can often drop
to zero degrees, but temperatures much into the minus are not common, especially
in the more built up areas of the city.
A crisp sunny winter’s day is a very
beautiful time to be in London, especially with an early morning frost covering
the ground. However there are unfortunately a lot of damp grey days during an
English winter.
Rainfall is at its highest in late
autumn and winter, at between 70 to 80mm per month. More so than in summer,
this tends to fall as light rain meaning a lot of rainy days. Coupled with the
short hours of daylight, this can make winter a bit of a grim time – when you’re
out in town, you may be tempted to duck into the nearest pub and sip ale by the
fireplace!
Snow is not common in London, though
a little will settle once every few years. The warmer temperatures in the city
make it less likely for snowfall to settle and remain than in other parts of
the country.
Autumn Weather:
Early autumn, that is September, can
see good weather and pleasant temperatures though by October things are
starting to cool and rainfall increases slightly. The wintry weather begins to
appear and November sees the first frosts of winter.
September enjoys average daily highs
of 19°C and can still get sunny days in the 20°C. Mid to high teens can be
possible in October, but by November the temperature will not get far into
double figures at its peak.
Autumn is definitely a season of
change as the long warm sunny days give way to cooler temperature. The days
begin to shorten noticeably.
Late autumn is statistically the wettest
time of year in London, though in reality you’re just as likely to get rain at
any time of year.
Spring Weather:
Spring again is a time of
unpredictable weather. Sometimes it can be sunny and a pleasant 20°C while all
around is blooming, the birds are chirping and the nights getting longer. Other
times it can be chilly, grey and damp.
Early spring stills sees a few
frosts (though less so in the city), while by late spring you can really start
to feel the arrival of summer weather.
March has average highs of just 10°C,
while this rises to 17°C by May.
Rainfall is around 50 to 60mm per
month in spring. This time is known for its frequent but brief showers – coined
the ‘April showers’.