What is the Gulf Stream and why is it so important to Britain?

Temperate Climate

The overall climate in England is called temperate maritime. This means that it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0ºC in winter and not much higher than 32ºC in summer. It also means that it is damp and is subject to frequent changes.

Warmest and coldest months

July and August are normally the warmest months in England. Around the coasts, February is normally the coldest month, but inland there is little to choose between January and February as the coldest month.

Best months to travel to England

Probably the best months to travel in England are May, June, September and October. These months generally have the most pleasant temperatures and less rain. July and August are the warmest months, but they are also the wettest. The sunniest parts of the Britain are along the south coast of England.

RainFall

Rain is fairly well distributed throughout the year, with late winter/spring (February to March) the driest period and autumn/winter (October to January) the wettest.

The Lake District is England's wettest region, receiving and average of 130 inches (330 centimeters) of precipitation each year. The western and northern hills receive about 40 inches (102 centimeters) of rain, while the east coast receives about 20 inches (51 centimetres).

What influences the Weather in Britain?

The main influence of the British climate is our close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, our northern latitude, and the warming of the waters around the land by the Gulf Stream (a warm current of the northern Atlantic Ocean).

Britain is a small island compared with the other land masses in the northern hemisphere – hence it is more influenced by the ocean compared with other European countries. Britain is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the English Channel to the south, and the North Sea to the east.

What is the Gulf Stream and why is it so important to Britain?

The Gulf Stream, also known as the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm current which flows across the Atlantic Ocean from the warmer seas of the Caribbean and makes West-European countries considerably warmer than they would be otherwise.

The Gulf Stream is the main ocean current that affects Britain and warms it by 5-8C. The Gulf of Mexico has higher air temperatures than Britain, as it's closer to the equator. This means that the air coming from the Gulf of Mexico to Britain is also warm. However, the air is also quite moist as it travels over the Atlantic Ocean. This is one reason why Britain often receives wet weather. Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to the coast and dry weather to inland areas.

England

Over England the mean annual temperature at low altitudes varies from about 8.5 °C to 11 °C, with the highest values occurring around or near to the coasts of Cornwall (in the south west). Winter temperatures average 4.4 °C (40 °F). Summer temperatures average about 15.6 °C (60 °F)

The sunniest parts of the United Kingdom are along the south coast of England. Many places along this south coast achieve annual average figures of around 1,750 hours of sunshine. The dullest parts of England are the mountainous areas, with annual average totals of less than 1,000 hours.

Rainfall in England varies widely. The Lake District is the wettest part, with average annual totals exceeding 2,000 mm. However, all of East Anglia, much of the Midlands, eastern and north-eastern England, and parts of the south-east receive less than 700 mm a year.

Scotland

Generally, Scotland is more cloudy than England, due mainly to the hilly nature of the terrain and the proximity of low-pressure systems from the Atlantic.

There is a general misconception that the whole of Scotland experiences high rainfall. In fact, rainfall in Scotland varies widely, with a distribution closely related to the topography, ranging from over 3,000 mm per year in the western Highlands to under 800 mm per year near the east coast .

Over Scotland the mean annual air temperature at low altitude ranges from about 7 °C on Shetland, in the far north, to 9 °C on the coasts of Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway in the south-west.

Wales

On the whole, Wales is cloudier than England, because of the hilly nature of the terrain and the proximity to the Atlantic.

Rainfall in Wales varies widely, with the highest average annual totals being recorded in the mountainous areas of Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons, where the yearly fall is comparable with that in the English Lake District or the western Highlands of Scotland. In the east, close to the border with England, annual totals are similar to those over much of the English Midlands. Snowdonia is the wettest part of Wales with average annual totals exceeding 3,000 mm, but coastal areas and the east receive less than 1,000 mm a year.

Over Wales the mean annual temperature at low altitudes varies from about 9.5 °C to 10.5 °C, with the higher values occurring around or near to the coasts.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1624