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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]
Records
[edit]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
[edit]| Constituent country | Temperature | Date | Place(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
 England | 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) | 19 July 2022 | Coningsby, Lincolnshire[3] |
 Wales | 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) | 18 July 2022 | Hawarden, Flintshire[4] |
 Scotland | 34.8 °C (94.6 °F) | 19 July 2022 | Charterhall, Scottish Borders[5] |
 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
[edit]| 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 |
| 4 | 38.2 °C (100.8 °F) | 18 July 2022 | Pitsford, Northamptonshire[6] |
| 5 | 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) | 31 July 2020 | Heathrow, Greater London |
| 6* | 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) | 3 August 1990 | Cheltenham, Gloucestershire |
| 7 | 36.7 °C (98.1 °F) | 1 July 2015 | Heathrow, Greater London |
| 8* | 36.7 °C (98.1 °F) | 9 August 1911 | Raunds, Northamptonshire |
| 9 | 36.6 °C (97.9 °F) | 2 August 1990 | Worcester, Worcestershire |
| 10 | 36.5 °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
[edit]| Constituent country | Temperature | Date | Place(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | −27.2 °C (−17.0 °F) | 11 February 1895 and 10 January 1982 | Braemar, Aberdeenshire |
| 30 December 1995 | Altnaharra, Sutherland | ||
| England | −26.1 °C (−15.0 °F) | 10 January 1982 | Newport, Shropshire |
| Wales | −23.3 °C (−9.9 °F) | 21 January 1940 | Rhayader, Radnorshire |
| Northern Ireland | −18.7 °C (−1.7 °F) | 24 December 2010 | Castlederg, County Tyrone |
Most rainfall in periods of time
[edit]| Duration | Amount | Place(s) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest 5-min total | 32 mm (1.3 in) | Preston, Lancashire | 10 August 1893 |
| Highest 30-min total | 80 mm (3.1 in) | Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway[7] | 26 June 1953 |
| Highest 60-min total | 92 mm (3.6 in) | Maidenhead, Berkshire | 12 July 1901 |
| Highest 90-min total | 117 mm (4.6 in) | Dunsop Valley, Lancashire | 8 August 1967 |
| Highest 120-min total | 193 mm (7.6 in)[8] | Walshaw Dean Lodge, West Yorkshire | 19 May 1989 |
| Highest 155-min total | 169 mm (6.7 in) | Hampstead, Greater London | 14 August 1975 |
| Highest 180-min total | 178 mm (7.0 in) | Horncastle, Lincolnshire | 7 October 1960 |
| Highest 24-hour total | 279 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 total | 405 mm (15.9 in) | Thirlmere, Cumbria | 4 to 5 December 2015 |
| Highest 72-hour total | 456.4 mm (17.97 in) | Seathwaite, Cumbria | 17 to 19 November 2009 |
| Highest 96-hour total | 495 mm (19.5 in) | Seathwaite, Cumbria | 16 to 19 November 2009 |
| Highest monthly total | 1,396.4 mm (54.98 in) | Crib Goch, Snowdon | 1 to 31 December 2015 |
| Highest annual total | 6,527 mm (257.0 in) | Sprinkling Tarn, Cumbria | 1 January to 31 December 1954[10] |
Most hours of sunshine
[edit]| Record | Duration | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest monthly total (UK national average)[11] | 266 hours | UK (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
[edit]| Ground Level | Wind speed | Location | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | knots | |||
| Low level (up to 500 m) | 142 | 228 | 123 | Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire | 13 February 1989 |
| High level (above 500 m) | 173 | 278 | 150 | 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
[edit]| Amount | Location | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greatest depth in an inhabited area[16] | 83 in (210 cm) | Forest-in-Teesdale, County Durham | 14 March 1947 |
Atmospheric pressure
[edit]| Record | Level | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest | 1,053.6 mbar (31.11 inHg) | Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire | 31 January 1902 |
| Lowest | 925.6 mbar (27.33 inHg) | Ochtertyre, Perthshire | 26 January 1884 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Met Office temperature records – what do we monitor and how far do they go back?". Met Office. 7 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "UK climate extremes". Met Office. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Record high temperatures verified". Met Office. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "Heatwave: Wales' second hottest day brings health warning". BBC News. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Scotland's record temperature of 34.8C at Charterhall confirmed". BBC News. 28 July 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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) - ^ 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).
- ^ McGrath, Matt (16 October 2020). "Extreme weather: October downpour sees UK's wettest day on record". BBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ Simons, Paul (25 November 2009). "Weather eye: The wettest habitable place in Britain". The Times.
- ^ Harrabin, Roger (1 June 2020). "Climate change: May was sunniest calendar month on record in UK". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ "Unst". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "A History of RAF Saxa Vord". 10 July 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ Britten, Nick (6 January 2009). "Highlands mountain claims strongest UK wind". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ^ Toogood, Darren. "RECORD-BREAKING 125MPH WINDS AT THE NEEDLES – THE STRONGEST GUST EVER SEEN IN ENGLAND". Island Echo. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ Eden, Philip (2 February 2009). "Snow Britain: Wrong kind of snow strikes again". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 1 June 2020.