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What is weather?

Weather in the atmosphere is different to the weather at the Earth's surface.

Watch: Learn about the UK's weather and climate

Discover how the weather and climate affect different places in the UK.

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What is the difference between weather and climate?

A image of a desert area and an Arctic area with sunshine, rainclouds and a thermometer

The difference between weather and climate is time.

  • Weather is the short-term, day to day conditions of an area.
  • Climate is the long-term conditions of an area recorded over a longer period of time.
A image of a desert area and an Arctic area with sunshine, rainclouds and a thermometer
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Climate of the UK

A sun and clouds in the sky

The UK has four seasons throughout the year: spring, summer, autumn and winter.

The temperature changes quite often throughout the year as the UK has a temperate climate. This means it has cold, wet winters and warmer, wet summers.

Different areas of the UK experience slightly different climates. This is because of the way some parts of the UK are positioned on the Earth.

A sun and clouds in the sky

The climate of an area depends on three things:

  • Altitude - how high a place is above sea level. The higher up you go, the colder it gets because the air is thinner. This means it holds less heat so is cooler.

  • Longitude - how far east or west an area is from the prime meridian, the line of longitude at 0掳C, which passes through Greenwich in London.

  • Latitude - how far north or south an area is from the Equator. The Equator is an imaginary line that goes around the middle of the Earth, dividing it into the northern and southern hemispheres. Places near the Equator are hot all year round, but places further away such as the UK are cooler as they receive less sunlight.

Here is how the climate varies across the UK:

A map showing the UK's different climates: the East has cold winters, the West has mild winters, the South has warm summers and the North has cool summers.
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Factors that affect climate

Although the latitude of the UK affects its climate, there are other factors involved.

Here are a few factors that affect the climate for different areas of the UK:

Distance to the sea

Mousehole in Cornwall. A village on the coast with boats in the harbour.
Image caption,
Mousehole, Cornwall

The sea passes a lot of heat to coastal areas in the winter as it takes longer to heat up and cool down than land. Because of this, coastal regions have warmer winters and cooler summers.

Mousehole in Cornwall. A village on the coast with boats in the harbour.
Image caption,
Mousehole, Cornwall

Currents

A bay with a sandy beach and rocks in Cornwall.
Image caption,
A bay in Cornwall

One reason why the UK has a warm climate is due to the Gulf Stream. This is a current of warm water that travels north-east from the Gulf of Mexico, over the Atlantic Ocean, bringing warmer water towards the UK.

Winds

Waves crashing around a lighthouse in Seaham, Durham
Image caption,
Waves crashing around a lighthouse in Seaham, Durham

Winds help pass heat energy from one area to another. Winds that come from the north, such as polar or arctic air masses, bring cold, wet weather, such as snow to the UK. If the wind comes from the south, tropical air masses bring warmer, drier weather.

Waves crashing around a lighthouse in Seaham, Durham
Image caption,
Waves crashing around a lighthouse in Seaham, Durham
A map of the UK showing the different types of winds and which direction they come from.
Figure caption,
A map of the UK showing the different types of winds and which direction they come from.

Hilly, mountainous areas

A house in the middle of the Scottish Highlands.
Image caption,
Southern slopes are warmer due to more sunlight.

High-altitude areas, such as the Highlands in Scotland, tend to be colder due to low air pressure. Temperatures may also vary depending whether it is north or south-facing as south-facing slopes get more sunlight than north-facing slopes.

A house in the middle of the Scottish Highlands.
Image caption,
Southern slopes are warmer due to more sunlight.
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Activities

Quiz: UK weather patterns

Quiz: Weather and climate

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