United Kingdom weather records

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]

Cambridge Botanic Garden Weather Station where a temperature of 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) was recorded in the 2019 European heat wave

Records

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	Amount	Location	Date
Greatest depth in an inhabited area[16]	83 in (210 cm)	Forest-in-Teesdale, County Durham	14 March 1947

Atmospheric pressure

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