London is a city saturated with mystical romance. Foggy Albion annually attracts millions of tourists with its noble beauty. Beautiful urban landscapes, the majestic Big Ben and the building of the Royal Palace, resting under a veil of milky clouds … The climate of London and Britain as a whole is legendary. But how true are they?
London climate
In fact, London has a mild maritime climate, with warm but not hot summers and warm winters. The climate of London is called temperate maritime. The temperature rarely drops below zero even on January nights, snow falls infrequently in winter and melts almost immediately. There is no more precipitation in London than in Tomsk or Belgorod, but less than in Sydney. In the same St. Petersburg, 100 millimeters more precipitation falls per year.
The average annual temperature in London is 10 degrees above zero. The average humidity is 80% and the average annual rainfall is 584 millimeters.
The winds off the Atlantic Ocean balance the weather in London. They make winter warmer and summercooler.
So why - Foggy Albion? The fact is that in the mornings a light milky-white fog rises over the River Thames, which on cool days may not dissipate until the evening. The Thames is a fairly large river, and the fog spreads over a decent area. So it's not about cloudiness (and therefore raininess), as many people think, but about the mysterious romantic veil of fog that covers the main river of England. Moreover, Foggy Albion is rather a nickname from the past, when the streets were covered with smoke from factories and coal-fired heating stoves. There are around 45 foggy days in London a year, most of them in late autumn and winter.
Like many cities with millions of people, the central part of the city has developed its own climate, caused by human activity, a large number of buildings and lighting. This is expressed in the fact that in the center of London the climate is a little warmer, the temperature is a couple of degrees higher than in the surrounding area and nearby cities.
Winter
Winter in London is cool and humid. The average temperature during the day is 5-7 degrees above zero. For a resident of central Russia, this may seem like quite warm weather, but due to humidity, such a temperature may feel cooler than, for example, in Moscow. In addition, sometimes strong winds blow in London.
It usually doesn't snow for more than 5 days and melts immediately. There are more fogs in London in winter, sometimes they even cause non-flying weather.
Mean temperature and weather by month:
- December - 5 degrees above zero, 14 rainy days.
- January - 3 degrees above zero, 16 rainy days.
- February - 4 degrees above zero, 12 rainy days.
Winter is the season of holidays, Christmas atmosphere and illumination, sales. And in early February, winter fashion week takes place.
Spring
In early March it starts to warm up, the sun appears, but short-term frosts can occur until the end of the month. In April, the weather stabilizes, and the thermometer is rapidly creeping up. There are occasional rains in May, but this month is considered one of the best for visiting the UK capital and outbound excursions.
Mean temperature and weather in London in spring:
- March - 7 degrees above zero, 14 rainy days.
- April - 10 degrees above zero, 14 rainy days.
- May - 14 degrees above zero, 12 rainy days.
London is blooming very quickly, the streets are covered with greenery and flowers, daylight hours are increasing, and nature is unfolding in all its glory.
Summer
This is the season of sales, summer schools and educational courses. During the day, partly cloudy with clearings are most often kept, which makes summer a great time to walk around London. There are short-term warming and cooling.
Mean temperature and weather during the summer months:
- June - 20 degrees, 11 rainy days.
- July - 23 degrees, 10 rainy days.
- August - 23 degrees above zero, 12 rainydays.
Autumn
London has a cool and wet autumn, with temperatures dropping sharply every month in autumn. The school season begins, sales, and autumn-summer fashion week takes place in September.
Mean temperature by month:
- September - 20 degrees, 11 rainy days.
- October - 16 degrees, 13 rainy days.
- November - 11 degrees, 15 rainy days.
Wonderful London attracts people with its beauty, but repels people with weather that is actually much nicer than is commonly believed.
