UK Weather Records

The UK Weather Records note the most extreme weather ever recorded in the United Kingdom, such as the most and fewest hours of sunshine and highest wind speed.

Contents

Records

As at November 2010, the records were:

Temperature

°C °F Location Date
Highest 38.5°C 101.3°F Brogdale near Faversham, Kent 10 August 2003
Lowest -27.2°C -17.0°F Braemar, Aberdeenshire 11 February 1895 and 10 January 1982
Altnaharra, Sutherland 30 December 1995

Rainfall

Main article: UK rainfall records
Duration Level Location Date
Highest 5-min total 32 mm[1] Preston, Lancashire 10 August 1893
Highest 30-min total 80 mm Eskdalemuir, Dumfriesshire 26 June 1953
Highest 60-min total 92 mm Maidenhead, Berkshire 12 July 1901
Highest 90-min total 117 mm Dunsop Valley, Lancashire 8 August 1967
Highest 120-min total 193 mm[2] Walshaw Dean Lodge, Yorkshire 19 May 1989
Highest 155-min total 169 mm Hampstead, London 14 August 1975
Highest 180-min total 178 mm Horncastle, Lincolnshire 7 October 1960
Highest 24-hour total 314.4 mm (prov.)[3] Seathwaite Farm, Cumbria 19 November 2009

Sunshine

Duration Location Date
Highest monthly total 384 hours Eastbourne and Hastings, Sussex July 1911
Lowest monthly total 0 hours Westminster, London December 1890

Wind speed

Ground Level Wind Speed Location Date
mph km/h knots
Low level 142 228 123 Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire 13 February 1989
High level 173 278 150 Cairn Gorm 20 March 1986

Shetland holds the unofficial British record for wind speed, which in 1962 was recorded at 177 mph (285 km/h) at RAF Saxa Vord—just before the measuring equipment blew away.[4]

External links

References

  1. ^ Approximate value
  2. ^ The UK met office expresses "reservations" about this value
  3. ^ Met Office (20 November 2009). "Recent heavy rain over north-west Britain". News Archive. Met Office. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/2009/pr20091120.html. Retrieved 21 November 2009. 
  4. ^ "Unst". Gazetteer for Scotland. http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst1105.html. Retrieved 12 January 2010.