What's The Weather Like In London?
London has a temperate maritime climate with four seasons and generally no extremes of temperature.
How Cold Does It Get In London?
However, it does have a microclimate known as an 'urban heat island'. The mass of heated buildings and people results in temperatures a couple of degrees warmer than outside the city. As a result,London is one of the warmest places in the UK.
How Much Does It Rain In London?
Contrary to popular belief, the average annual London rainfall is not particularly high a href="https://www.holiday-weather.com/sydney/">Sydney, for example, has a higher figure. It's just that there are many grey, drizzly days. The total rainfall may not be that high, but the number of 'rainy days' is.
Weather varies greatly from year to year. So you might get a particularly cold winter, or a particularly wet summer, or a very hot one.
If you visit London, you don't quite know what you're going to get and how cold it is going to get The London weather forecast is highly changeable and tough to predict.
Summer Weather in London: June Mid September
How Many Sunny Days Does London Have A Year?
The best way to describe a London summer is unpredictable, so be prepared for all eventualities.
There could be a week of continuous rain or, just as likely, seven days 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 weather is notoriously unreliable. Perhaps this unpredictability explains why the weather forecast is such a favoured conversation topic in England.
How Cold Is London?
Average high temperatures in London peak in summer. July and August are around a pleasant 22°C.
Some days can see temperatures rise up to and above 30°C during a fine spell. But a July day in the mid-teens is not unheard of either. The average low temperature in London in peak summer is around 14°C
Record Temperatures In London
The summer of 2003 was outstanding, thanks to a temperature of 38.6°C. Then on 25th July 2019, a new record temperature was created - 38.7C.
London rainfall in summer is around 50 to 60mm per month, making it very marginally the driest time of year.
Late summer can bring on evening thunderstorms and short, heavy downpours. At least this gets the rain out of the way quickly, rather than with endless drizzle that can occur at other times.
Autumn Weather in London: Mid September - November
Early autumn, from late September, can see good weather and pleasant temperatures, though by October things are starting to cool and rainfall increases slightly.
The wintry weather begins in earnest in November when the first frosts usually appear..
Autumn Temperatures In London
September enjoys average daily highs of 19°C and can still get sunny days in the 20s. Mid to high teens can also 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 temperatures. The London days begin to shorten noticeably, but September is not particularly cold in London.
Autumn Rain In London
Late autumn is statistically the wettest time of year in London, although in reality you're just as likely to get rain at any time of year.
Winter Weather in London: December - February
Does It Snow In February in London?
Winters in London are cold, but not bitterly so. Generally, winters are becoming milder than average, as climate change progresses.
Frosts and snow are rarer in the city than elsewhere, due to the 'urban heat island' phenomenon. Warmer temperatures mean that if it does fall, it's less likely for snow to settle than in other parts of the United Kingdom.
How Cold Is It In London In February?
The average winter temperature is 5°C, with highs averaging 7°C and lows 2°C.
It can often drop to 0°C, but temperatures far below are not common, especially in the more built-up areas of the city.
Unfortunately, there are many damp, grey days during an English winter. Sunshine levels drop to one hour per day in December and only increase slightly thereafter.
How Wet Are Winters In London?
London rainfall is at its highest in late autumn and winter, at between 70 to 80mm per month. This tends to fall as an irritating drizzle, so there are a lot of rainy days.
Coupled with 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.
Spring Weather in London: March - May
Spring, again, is a time of unpredictable weather. Sometimes it's a sunny and a pleasant 20°C, while all around is blooming, the birds are chirping and the days getting longer. And at other times it can be chilly, grey and damp.
Early spring still sees a few frosts (though less so in the city), while by late spring you really begin to feel the arrival of summer weather.
Spring Temperatures In London
March has average highs of 10°C, while this rises to 17°C by May.
Rain In Spring In London
Rainfall is around 50 to 60mm per month in spring. This time is known for its frequent but brief showers coined 'April showers'.
Unusual Weather In London
Although the UK is not particularly well known for its extreme weather, there have been a number of significant weather events affecting London over the years.
Floods In London
January 1928 saw the last major flood of London's city-centre. Heavy snowfalls over Christmas 1927 were followed by a rise in temperature and a period of unusually heavy rain in early January 1928.
The resulting snow thaw, combined with heavy rain, resulted in an overall doubling of the amount of water in the River Thames.
This coincided with a high spring tide and a storm surge caused by a depression over the North Sea that raised the water level in the Thames Estuary by 1.5 metres.
This combination of weather resulted in the highest water levels ever recorded in London. The embankments overflowed and large areas of the city were flooded, including the Houses of Parliament, Tate Gallery and riverside Underground stations.
Again in 1953 a storm surge in the North Sea raised water levels to such an extent that the embankments came within millimetres of overflowing again.
To guard against subsequent flooding the Thames Barrier was built as a defence against high tides and storm surges.
Air Pollution In London
When Was The Great Smog Of London?
The Great Smog of December 1952 was the worst air pollution incident in UK history. An anticyclone settled over London causing cold, stagnant air to be trapped under a layer of warm air.
Unprecedented levels of pollutants such as chimney smoke, particles from vehicle exhausts and sulphur dioxide combined in the windless conditions to produce a thick fog that persisted for four days.
The 'pea-souper' - as the fog was known due to its characteristic yellow-black colour caused by soot particles - cut visibility to just a few metres, so driving became impossible. The smog even penetrated indoors, causing the cancellation of film screenings and concerts.
Londoners were so used to the smog that people weren't worried initially. But it is estimated that 12,000 people died in the following weeks and months due to lung and respiratory tract infections.
This led to an increased awareness of air pollution and efforts were made to improve the air quality in subsequent years. Thankfully London's famous 'pea-soupers' are now consigned to history.
London's Worst Storm
The Great Storm of October 1987 caused 18 deaths, as an unusually strong weather system passed over the south of England.
In London, many trees were blown over causing damage to buildings and flattening parked cars. Six of the seven famous oak trees in Sevenoaks were toppled.
Fatalities were kept to a minimum as the storm hit during the night. But this wasn't the case three years later when 97 people were killed in a storm of comparable intensity, during the daylight hours.
Tornados In London
In 2006 a tornado struck the northwest London area of Kensal Green. A total of £10 million of damage was caused to 100 homes. The UK actually experiences approximately 35-40 tornadoes a year, the highest number of any country in Europe. But few cause damage.
London's Heaviest Snowfalls
February 2009 saw the highest UK snowfall for 18 years. London received 20 centimetres of snow. Many airports were closed for a period, public transport was severely affected and much of London's sporting schedule was disrupted.
Hospitals received an increased number of injured patients from slips and falls in the snow and schools were closed for several days.