United Kingdom weather records

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Cambridge Botanic Garden Weather Station where a temperature of 38.7 degC (101.7 degF) was recorded in the 2019 European heat wave Cambridge Botanic Garden Weather Station from the West.jpg
Cambridge Botanic Garden Weather Station where a temperature of 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) was recorded in the 2019 European heat wave

The United Kingdom weather records show the most extreme weather ever recorded in the United Kingdom, such as temperature, wind speed, and rainfall records. Reliable temperature records for the whole of the United Kingdom go back to about 1880. [1]

Contents

Records

Daily records unless otherwise specified are from 0900-2100 UTC. As of 20 December 2022, the records, as recorded by the Met Office, are: [2]

Highest temperature by constituent country

Constituent country
Temperature
Date
Place(s)
Flag of England.svg  England 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) 19 July 2022 Coningsby, Lincolnshire [3]
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 37.1 °C (98.8 °F)18 July 2022 Hawarden, Flintshire [4]
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 34.8 °C (94.6 °F)19 July 2022 Charterhall, Scottish Borders [5]
Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 31.3 °C (88.3 °F) 21 July 2021 Castlederg, County Tyrone

    Earlier records for England/UK since 1911 are shown with a * in the "Top 10 hottest days" table below.

    Top 10 hottest days in the UK

    Rank Temperature Date Place(s)
    1*40.3 °C (104.5 °F)19 July 2022 Coningsby, Lincolnshire
    2*38.7 °C (101.7 °F)25 July 2019 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
    3*38.5 °C (101.3 °F) 10 August 2003 Faversham, Kent
    438.2 °C (100.8 °F)18 July 2022 Pitsford, Northamptonshire [6]
    537.8 °C (100.0 °F)31 July 2020 Heathrow, Greater London
    6*37.1 °C (98.8 °F)3 August 1990 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
    736.7 °C (98.1 °F)1 July 2015Heathrow, Greater London
    8*36.7 °C (98.1 °F) 9 August 1911 Raunds, Northamptonshire
    936.6 °C (97.9 °F)2 August 1990 Worcester, Worcestershire
    1036.5 °C (97.7 °F) 19 July 2006 Wisley, Surrey

    Starred entries signify the then-highest temperature recorded up to that date, until surpassed by the next starred date above.

    Lowest temperature by constituent country

    Constituent country Temperature Date Place(s)
    Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland −27.2 °C (−17.0 °F) 11 February 1895 and 10 January 1982 Braemar, Aberdeenshire
    30 December 1995 Altnaharra, Sutherland
    Flag of England.svg  England −26.1 °C (−15.0 °F) 10 January 1982 Newport, Shropshire
    Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales −23.3 °C (−9.9 °F)21 January 1940 Rhayader, Radnorshire
    Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland −18.7 °C (−1.7 °F) 24 December 2010 Castlederg, County Tyrone

    Most rainfall in periods of time

    Duration Amount Place(s) Date
    Highest 5-min total32 mm (1.3 in) Preston, Lancashire 10 August 1893
    Highest 30-min total80 mm (3.1 in) Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway [7] 26 June 1953
    Highest 60-min total92 mm (3.6 in) Maidenhead, Berkshire 12 July 1901
    Highest 90-min total117 mm (4.6 in) Dunsop Valley, Lancashire8 August 1967
    Highest 120-min total193 mm (7.6 in) [8] Walshaw Dean Lodge, West Yorkshire 19 May 1989
    Highest 155-min total169 mm (6.7 in) Hampstead, Greater London14 August 1975
    Highest 180-min total178 mm (7.0 in) Horncastle, Lincolnshire 7 October 1960
    Highest 24-hour total279 mm (11.0 in) Martinstown, Dorset 18 July 1955
    Highest total in any 24-hour period (1800-1800)341.4 mm (13.44 in) Honister Pass, Cumbria 5 December 2015
    Highest 24-hour total (UK national average)31.7 mm (1.25 in)UK (national average) [9] 3 October 2020
    Highest 48-hour total405 mm (15.9 in) Thirlmere, Cumbria4 to 5 December 2015
    Highest 72-hour total456.4 mm (17.97 in) Seathwaite, Cumbria17 to 19 November 2009
    Highest 96-hour total495 mm (19.5 in)Seathwaite, Cumbria16 to 19 November 2009
    Highest monthly total1,396.4 mm (54.98 in) Crib Goch, Snowdon 1 to 31 December 2015
    Highest annual total6,527 mm (257.0 in) Sprinkling Tarn, Cumbria1 January to 31 December 1954 [10]

    Most hours of sunshine

    RecordDurationLocationDate
    Highest monthly total (UK national average) [11] 266 hoursUK (national average)May 2020
    Highest monthly total (England) [2] 383.9 hours Eastbourne, Sussex July 1911
    Highest monthly total (Northern Ireland) [2] 298 hours Mount Stewart, County Down June 1940
    Highest monthly total (Scotland) [2] 329.1 hours Tiree, Argyll & Bute May 1975
    Highest monthly total (Wales) [2] 354.3 hours Dale Fort, Pembrokeshire July 1955

    Highest wind speed

    Ground LevelWind speedLocationDate
    mphkm/hknots
    Low level (up to 500 m)142228123 Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire 13 February 1989
    High level (above 500 m)173278150 Cairn Gorm, Scottish Highlands 20 March 1986

    Shetland holds the unofficial British record for wind speed. A gust of 197 mph (317 km/h) was reported on 1 January 1992. An earlier gust in 1962 was recorded at 177 mph (285 km/h), both at RAF Saxa Vord. [12] However, it is expected that higher gusts than those reported would have been achieved as during both storms the measuring equipment was destroyed by the extreme weather. [13]

    A wind gust of 194 mph (312 km/h) was recorded at Cairn Gorm on 19 December 2008 but was discovered too late to be verified by the Met Office. [14]

    The highest wind speed in England was a wind gust of 125.4 mph recorded at The Needles, Isle of Wight, on 18 February 2022 during Storm Eunice. [15]

    Most snowfall in a day

    AmountLocationDate
    Greatest depth in an inhabited area [16] 83 in (210 cm) Forest-in-Teesdale, County Durham14 March 1947

    Atmospheric pressure

    RecordLevelLocationDate
    Highest1,053.6 mbar (31.11 inHg) Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire 31 January 1902
    Lowest925.6 mbar (27.33 inHg) Ochtertyre, Perthshire 26 January 1884

    References

    1. ↑ "Met Office temperature records – what do we monitor and how far do they go back?". Met Office. 7 June 2018.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 "UK climate extremes". Met Office. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
    3. ↑ "Record high temperatures verified". Met Office. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
    4. ↑ "Heatwave: Wales' second hottest day brings health warning". BBC News. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
    5. ↑ "Scotland's record temperature of 34.8C at Charterhall confirmed". BBC News. 28 July 2022.
    6. ↑ McCarthy, Mark (28 September 2022). "Guest post: A Met Office review of the UK's record-breaking summer in 2022". Carbon Brief. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
    7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    8. ↑ The UK Met Office expresses "reservations" about 193 mm on 19 May 1989 at Walshaw Dean Lodge (West Yorkshire). The next highest acceptable value is 155 mm on 11 June 1956 at Hewenden Reservoir (West Yorkshire).
    9. ↑ McGrath, Matt (16 October 2020). "Extreme weather: October downpour sees UK's wettest day on record". BBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
    10. ↑ Simons, Paul (25 November 2009). "Weather eye: The wettest habitable place in Britain" . The Times.
    11. ↑ Harrabin, Roger (1 June 2020). "Climate change: May was sunniest calendar month on record in UK". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
    12. ↑ "Unst". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
    13. ↑ "A History of RAF Saxa Vord". 10 July 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
    14. ↑ Britten, Nick (6 January 2009). "Highlands mountain claims strongest UK wind". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
    15. ↑ Toogood, Darren. "RECORD-BREAKING 125MPH WINDS AT THE NEEDLES – THE STRONGEST GUST EVER SEEN IN ENGLAND". Island Echo. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
    16. ↑ Eden, Philip (2 February 2009). "Snow Britain: Wrong kind of snow strikes again". The Daily Telegraph . London. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
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