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I see quite a few people, not from the UK, comment on London summers saying how they're dreary and never truly warm. Although this claim does have some merit, it doesn't really explain what our summers have been like in recent years and the trend it's setting for future summers.
Firstly, summer temps in the capital now reliably reach over 32 degrees for the hottest day and most summer days see temps around 25 degrees or more, with those iconic drizzly days mixed in, but it seems those grey days are few and far in between (which is a plus for me).
Secondly, summer rainfall is becoming abysmally low, in fact, small enough for London to probably be classified as near Mediterranean in the near future.
I don't know if this is a trend for all Northen European cities but London is warming much faster than more southern latitudes in the Northern hemisphere and I wouldn't be surprised if our all-time record temp is broken in the next couple of years.
You can't fight stereotypes, this forum is a good example of that and UK weather is the most talked about yet least understood weather system on the planet! London actually has rather nice Summers, it rains more in Rome, Paris, Istanbul and may other places every year than it does in London, the South Coast of the UK also gets rather sunny summers too (London not quite as much sunshine because of its Geography). You can tell the foreign tourists in London because they tend to go 'over the top' with rainwear and they always carry umbrella's! (I have never owned an umbrella in my life (apart from one on my golfbag that I've never used (fairweather golfer me)). The reason London (and the UK in general) gets this reputation is probably because unlike a lot of the world there is no real pattern to rainfall, ie its un-predictable, ie you are nearly as likely to get rain or a 'wet spell' in July as you are in December. However despite its un-predictability London is actually one of the driest cities in the whole of western Europe, so it isn't endless rain like people think. The fact that the UK is 50-60 degrees north also means that sunshine amounts are particularly low in the winter - even in the South. Actually here in the SE of England we are constantly warned about water shortages, its not that it is THAT dry but rather that its 'drier' than you may think and it has a very high population density - mix the two together and during dry spells water can be a problem.
Yeah, summers in London seemed to have warmed up quite a bit. Which is probably what has happened also in Paris, Brussels, most german cities... Last July Paris had an average which was similar to a normal July in Bologna, which is about 5c warmer on average. Pretty brutal in a way.
The major misconception is actually that the UK has only one weather. London and the SE always have been the driest and warmest parts of the country. They're only separated by a narrow body of water from France and Belgium, so they're often under the same weather pattern as those places. Add the urban heat island effect in London and lack of direct coastal exposure..and London is going to be among the warmest places in Britain almost all the time.
The major misconception is actually that the UK has only one weather. London and the SE always have been the driest and warmest parts of the country. They're only separated by a narrow body of water from France and Belgium, so they're often under the same weather pattern as those places. Add the urban heat island effect in London and lack of direct coastal exposure..and London is going to be among the warmest places in Britain almost all the time.
In the winter months the South West are warmer than the SE, its the South West that benefits the most from the Gulf Stream, below is link to Tresco Gardens on the Scilly Isles (islands of the coast of Cornwall):-
Sub-tropical plants not because of Summer heat but because it doesn't get cold, even in the winter months (average Winter nighttime low is around 6-8 degrees Centigrade), pretty incredible for 50 degrees north and warmer winter temps than even London.
I see quite a few people, not from the UK, comment on London summers saying how they're dreary and never truly warm. Although this claim does have some merit, it doesn't really explain what our summers have been like in recent years and the trend it's setting for future summers.
Firstly, summer temps in the capital now reliably reach over 32 degrees for the hottest day and most summer days see temps around 25 degrees or more, with those iconic drizzly days mixed in, but it seems those grey days are few and far in between (which is a plus for me).
Secondly, summer rainfall is becoming abysmally low, in fact, small enough for London to probably be classified as near Mediterranean in the near future.
I don't know if this is a trend for all Northen European cities but London is warming much faster than more southern latitudes in the Northern hemisphere and I wouldn't be surprised if our all-time record temp is broken in the next couple of years.
How can most summer days reach 25°C or more if the average is actually less than 24°C even using the latest data?
Summers in London are about the same as my summers, so pretty nice.
I've shifted to a hot summer climate during the last three summers, and even though it was much hotter it didn't actually feel any more like summer - the extra heat seemed like a bit of a downer, with few people seen outside and not much activity apart from malls and cafes/bars etc.
In the winter months the South West are warmer than the SE, its the South West that benefits the most from the Gulf Stream, below is link to Tresco Gardens on the Scilly Isles (islands of the coast of Cornwall):-
Sub-tropical plants not because of Summer heat but because it doesn't get cold, even in the winter months (average Winter nighttime low is around 6-8 degrees Centigrade), pretty incredible for 50 degrees north and warmer winter temps than even London.
It also depends on the subtropical plants - some will grow due to lack of cold, while others won't grow, due to lack of heat. My climate has cooler winter minimums than the Scilly Isles, but can still grow a wider range of plants due to more heat.
I have no idea about the range of subtropical plants that can grow down here. We do get snow most winters but I would say we're warm / hot for a good half of the year.
I have no idea about the range of subtropical plants that can grow down here. We do get snow most winters but I would say we're warm / hot for a good half of the year.
If you get regular snow, it's likely going to be too cold to support many subtropical plants.
Trewartha's 8 months > 10C mean rule, does a good job of identifying higher levels of plant diversity due to heat, among Koppen's C climates.
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