The UK is known for its unpredictable seasons, but they are more distinct than you think. OK, sometimes it rains in the sometimes it’s warm in the winter. We have found out why as well as some other pretty interesting stuff. Here it is, our guide to the UK seasons.
UK Seasons are as follows:
|Season||Months||Average Temperature||Average Rainfall (mm)||Daylight Hours|
|Winter||December to February||7°C/44.6°F||78||8-9|
|Spring||March to May||12°C/53.6°F||60||11-12|
|Summer||June to August||19.1°C/66.38°F||61||15-16|
|Autumn (Fall)||September to November||15°C/59°F||81||10-12|
We have used data from the Met office to verify our data but you can get latest weather updates via this link as well
But there’s more to the UK seasons than just the weather. With every season, you get to experience a different side of the UK. Let’s get into it…
The Four Seasons of the UK – Here’s what to expect
The seasonal differences are not as distinct as other countries, such as Canada, but there is a noticeable difference between each of the four seasons in the UK, and despite being a small country, the weather can be different depending on where you are.
The climate in the United Kingdom is defined as a temperate oceanic climate.Wikipedia
This essentially means that the UK is more susceptible to climate changes, which would account for some of the random weather us Brits are used to.
But that’s not all. The UK is also under the influence of maritime winds. This means that the wind speeds can essentially be wildly different depending on where you are in the UK.
With that in mind, depending on where you are in the UK for any given season, the weather can be very different as well.
We’ve put a table together below to illustrate the differences in temperature in the four regions of the UK
|Season||UK: North||UK: South||UK: East||UK: West|
|Winter||-1°C/ 30.2° F||7°C /44.6°F||9°C /48.2°F||6°C / 42.8°F|
|Summer||19°C/ 66.2 °F||21°C/69.8°F||24°C /75.2°F||20°C / 68°F|
|Autumn (Fall)||14°C/57.2 °F||16°C/60.8°F||18°C/64.4°F||15°C/59°F |
- Winter is the coldest season, but it’s not the same temperature all over the UK. Some parts of the country can literally fall below 0 °C. It’s worth wrapping up warm if you’re planning on visiting the UK in the winter months.
- Spring is bearable but hardly shorts and T-shirt weather. To be honest you probably still can’t take that coat off.
- Summer can get really warm and usually does from the middle of July onward. It’s time to get the BBQ out.
- Autumn is a bit weird. The beginning of autumn is usually warm but it will cool down rapidly. From the end of October, it usually starts to get colder.
Lasting roughly about 3 months a season, in the UK you’ll find that seasons can overlap. For instance, it’s not uncommon for warm weather at the end of September in the UK. Similarly, it can also be colder than you’d expect in July.
If you’re in the north of the UK, for instance, you’ll notice the weather tends to be substantially colder in the North of England in comparison to the South and East of England.
Seasonal UK Places to Visit in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn (Fall)
- London (Region – UK South)
- At this time of the year, this city is lit up leading into Christmas, The Winter Wonderland Festival is hosted in Hyde Park, which is great for the whole family.
- Edinburgh (Region – UK North)
- A beautiful city with so much going on at this time of the year. The Castle, The Markets, The whiskey -it’s all great. We went there last winter and loved it. If you’re interested in seeing what we got up to check out our post here.
- London (Region – UK South)
- Kew Gardens – The UKs Royal Botanical Gardens are worth a visit at this time of the year. We’re not big flower people, but even we loved it!
- Lake District (Region – UK North)
- This is a great place to visit towards the end of spring, leading into the summer. From hiking to sailing to cycling this destination is great for all of you outdoors people. If you’re looking for more specific information, we wrote a post our out visit to the Lake District that may help you too!
- UK Seaside towns (Region – UK South)
- Bournemouth, Brighton, Blackpool -These are all UK Beach towns worth visiting at this time of the year. We visited Bournemouth last year (winter time) and still had a good time but most people do visit in the summer. In any case, you can see what we got up to here.
- Cornwall and Devon (Region – UK South)
- If you’re visiting the UK at this time of the year, Devon and Cornwall are a must. The food, the ice cream, the water sports are all great at this time of the year. Just make sure you book your hotels in advance! Lonely Planet has a great resource that provides a great guide for what to do. You can read it here
- Stratford-upon-Avon Region – UK Central
- Visiting early autumn is an ideal time to visit this town, famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Not only can you take in the historical buildings, but you go for a boat ride and usually enjoy some music. Here’s a link to Stratford-upon-Avon official site if you’re interested in visiting
- Cotswolds Region – UK South West
- This is the perfect time of the year to visit the countryside. Bourton-on-the-Water is a lovely village worth checking out at this time of the year. Dubbed the “Venice of the Cotswolds”, given that the River Windrush runs through it. Check out this link to Bourtoninfo which gives some great information on the village.
Events & Festivals in the UK by Season – You don’t want to miss these
|Winter||New Year Celebrations and firework displays||London & Edinburgh||December – January|
|Summer||Wimbledon Tennis, Royal Ascot, Glastonbury Festival||London and Somerset||May-June|
|Autumn||Guy Fawkes or “Bonfire” Night and Remembrance Day||London||November|
Winter – New Years Celebrations and firework displays
Time of the Year: December-January
During the winter the main attractions are the New Year Celebrations and firework displays, which are going on in almost every UK city. The biggest celebrations are without a doubt in London which hosts the biggest firework display in the country.
Edinburgh on the other hand on New Years is an entirely different experience. If you’re looking to party for three days with some of the best entertainment the world has to offer, this is the place for you. To see more what could be in store, check out this post from Edinburgh festival city
Spring – The London Marathon in London
Time of the Year: April
The London Marathon hosts the world’s most famous marathon runners as well as the general public. Many of which are raising money for worthy causes. As they run past London’s most iconic landmarks and buildings, it’s a great day out. If you are considering spectating or running, this article from runners world should give you all the information you need
Summer – Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Royal Ascot, Glastonbury Music Festival
Time of the Year: Wimbledon – June & July, Royal Ascot – June, Glastonbury Music Festival – June
This is the most exciting time of the year. If you’re looking to go to Wimbledon you have a few options either to queue up, to watch from Murray Mountain or just to watch it in a pub.
Here’s a really good resource about what to do at the grounds in Wimbledon by the organizers as well as what you can eat.
If you fancy betting on a horse or two and dressing up, the Royal Ascot is the place for you. Ideal for a group of friends, there’s nothing more British. Even the Queen attends! Check out this Official Royal Ascot link for a guide on what to expect.
Glastonbury Music Festival is the most anticipated festival of the year, and usually sells out within minutes of coming on sale.
With basically every genre of music and person going, if you get to go you should. We’ve included an official link for Glastonbury should you want to know more.
Autumn – Guy Fawkes Night, Remembrance day
Time of the Year: November
So Guy Fawkes Night is otherwise known as ‘Bonfire night’ is a great time of the year to enjoy fireworks all over the country, in all of the major cities.
Remembrance day is a somber occasion to the UK, remembering those that gave their lives in battle. Whilst it’s not so much an occasion to look forward to, there are things to do. For a view of remembrance events check out this British legion website for more.
8 thoughts on “A Guide to the UK seasons – When it’s Hot and When it’s Not”
Thank you for such detail, I now know if I decide to travel to the UK what time of year would be best even though the weather doesnt seem to be too bad all year around. This is a very informative and very discriptive article for anyone looking to travel to UK. I may suggest researching other places and weather patterns for people who travel abroad looking for that perfect spot.
Penny Saving Mom
Hey Amanda, Thanks for your comments. Absolutely, feel free to reach out to us directly and we’ll be happy to help wherever we can too!
Great breakdown of the seasons! Although it is a coastal country, I would have not thought of the UK as a beach destination. What are the beaches like? Is there sand or are the beaches rocky? How is the scuba diving? What is the average water temp in the summer? Thanks for the info, I definitely learned something.
Hey Glen. Great question. The UK actually has some great beaches . We’d recommend Barry Island in Wales, or Croma in Norfolk. The UK also has some pebble beaches, an example would be Brighton. The average water temperature in the UK is cold, but once you get in you’ll be ok.
Thanks for your very informative post. I believe that the information you provided will greatly benefit anyone who plans to visit the UK, and would like to know about the weather and other important details.
They might even get the answers to all, or most of any questions they may have.
In looking at the guide for the average temperature for the different season, it would appear like it only warms up in the summer. However, your table about the temperature in the four regions of the UK can help travelers to choose their ideal destination at any time.
Providing information on where to visit will definitely help travelers to know of the best places to visit during the different seasons. Very interesting and informative post. Thanks again.
Thank you Jackie. We really appreciate your comments, and our goal is to provide useful content so if that’s the case for you that’s great.