The lowest average daily sun hours in the United Kingdom typically occur in January and December. The highest daily sun hours recorded since 2015 was in May 2020, at an average of 9.7 hours per day. In comparison, May 2024 saw 5.6 hours of daily sunshine. High levels of monthly sunlight in 2018 Since 2014, the pattern of total monthly hours of sunlight remained relatively similar up until 2018. That year there was a noticeable increase in sunlight hours in May, June and July – with May recording 241 hours of sunlight. The following year the pattern returned to normal, but a significant increase was again recorded in 2020. Annual sun hours The average annual number of daily sun hours in the UK has remained above four hours per day since 2001, but has not increased above five. Daily sun hours were highest in 2003 at 4.9 hours per day. The following years saw sun hours remain at a similar level, until figures increased again to 4.9 hours in 2022.

The total monthly hours of sunlight in the UK follow a similar pattern each year. May typically has the highest monthly hours of sunshine, peaking at nearly 267 hours in 2020. Unsurprisingly, the lowest hours of sunlight occur at the end of each year.Little sunshine throughout the dayThe average annual number of daily sun hours has seen little change since the turn of the century, with the lowest average number being recorded in 2012 at 4 hours and the highest average being 4.9 in 2003 and 2022. Instruments such as the Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder are used to measure sunshine duration. However, more modern equipment is now being used as the Campbell-Stokes recorder overestimates sunshine duration. England gets the most sunshineAlthough sunshine isn't the most common sight throughout the United Kingdom, on average England receives the most monthly hours. In recent years, the longest monthly duration of sunlight was recorded in May 2020, at an average of 267 hours. In comparison, Scotland received just 215 hours of sunshine in the same month.

The total number of sunshine hours recorded in the United Kingdom in 2024 was over 1,274. This was a decrease from the previous year, which had 1,435 sunshine hours. Since 1930, the highest number of sunshine hours recorded in a year in the UK occurred in 1995, at 1,580.

The amount of monthly hours of sunshine in England follows a similar pattern each year, with the longest durations occurring in Spring and Summer. During the period in consideration, the highest amount of monthly sunshine hours was recorded in May 2020, at over 299 hours. This was more hours of sunlight than the UK average. Overcast and rainyIn addition to low periods of sunshine, England is also susceptible to precipitation. Between 2015 and 2023, the greatest number of days in which more than 1mm of rain fell was 20.4 days in March of the latter year. The driest month was May 2020, with just 2.3 rain days. Europe’s gloomiest and sunniest citiesThe United Kingdom has some of Europe's cloudiest cities, such as Glasgow, London and Manchester. On the other hand, most of Europe’s sunniest cities are located in Spain, with Alicante taking the lead at 349 hours of monthly average sunshine.

Since the turn of the century there has been little change in the average daily sunshine hours in the United Kingdom. In 2023, an average of 4.3 daily sun hours was recorded. The lowest amount of daily sunlight during the period in consideration occurred in 2012, at just four hours, while 2003 and 2022 saw some of the highest values, with 4.9 hours of daily sunlight.

Summer sun

Unsurprisingly it is the spring and summer months that receive the most daily sunshine hours. The longest duration was recorded in 2020, when the average daily sunshine in the second quarter reached 7.9 hours. In 2023, the second quarter of the year had an average of seven daily sun hours. In comparison, that same year's first and fourth quarters recorded just 2.7 and 2.1 hours of daily sunshine, respectively.

Historical sunshine

In 1930, the average annual sunshine hours amounted to 1,290 hours. Sunlight has traditionally been recorded using a Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder, which was developed in the late 19th century. However, measurements from this instrument can overestimate sunshine duration. Whilst still often used at non automated climate stations, more accurate modern sunshine sensors are in use these days at automated stations.

The quarterly average of daily sun hours has fluctuated over the years in the United Kingdom. In each year, there is an overall trend of higher daily sun hours in the second and third quarter, which comprises spring and summer time in the UK. During winter and autumn, the first and fourth quarter of each year, average daily sun hours are almost half of those recorded during summer time. Between 2010 and the 2024, the quarter with the greatest sun hours was the second quarter of 2019, with 7.9 hours per day, whilst the fourth quarter of 2015 recorded a low of 1.8 hours per day.

Since 2015, the month with greatest deviation of daily sun hours in the UK was recorded in July 2018. This month saw 2.5 more sun hours than the 10-year average. In comparison, June 2016 saw 2.5 hours less daily sunshine than usual for that time of year.

The UK hourly weather observation data contain meteorological values measured on an hourly time scale. The measurements of the concrete state, wind speed and direction, cloud type and amount, visibility, and temperature were recorded by observation stations operated by the Met Office across the UK and transmitted within SYNOP, DLY3208, AWSHRLY and NCM messages. The sunshine duration measurements were transmitted in the HSUN3445 message. The data spans from 1875 to 2017.

For details on observing practice see the message type information in the MIDAS User Guide linked from this record and relevant sections for parameter types.

This dataset is part of the Midas-open dataset collection made available by the Met Office under the UK Open Government Licence, containing only UK mainland land surface observations owned or operated by Met Office. It is a subset of the fuller, restricted Met Office Integrated Data Archive System (MIDAS) Land and Marine Surface Stations dataset, also available through the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis - see the related dataset section on this record. Note, METAR message types are not included in the Open version of this dataset. Those data may be accessed via the full MIDAS hourly weather data.

The UK hourly weather observation data contain meteorological values measured on an hourly time scale. The measurements of the concrete state, wind speed and direction, cloud type and amount, visibility, and temperature were recorded by observation stations operated by the Met Office across the UK and transmitted within SYNOP, DLY3208, AWSHRLY and NCM messages. The sunshine duration measurements were transmitted in the HSUN3445 message. The data spans from 1875 to 2023.

This version supersedes the previous version of this dataset and a change log is available in the archive, and in the linked documentation for this record, detailing the differences between this version and the previous version. The change logs detail new, replaced and removed data. These include the addition of data for calendar year 2023.

For details on observing practice see the message type information in the MIDAS User Guide linked from this record and relevant sections for parameter types.

This dataset is part of the Midas-open dataset collection made available by the Met Office under the UK Open Government Licence, containing only UK mainland land surface observations owned or operated by Met Office. It is a subset of the fuller, restricted Met Office Integrated Data Archive System (MIDAS) Land and Marine Surface Stations dataset, also available through the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis - see the related dataset section on this record. Note, METAR message types are not included in the Open version of this dataset. Those data may be accessed via the full MIDAS hourly weather data.

This dataset provides information about the number of properties, residents, and average property values for Sunshine Hills cross streets in London, KY.

The highest average temperature recorded in 2024 until November was in August, at 16.8 degrees Celsius. Since 2015, the highest average daily temperature in the UK was registered in July 2018, at 18.7 degrees Celsius. The summer of 2018 was the joint hottest since institutions began recording temperatures in 1910. One noticeable anomaly during this period was in December 2015, when the average daily temperature reached 9.5 degrees Celsius. This month also experienced the highest monthly rainfall in the UK since before 2014, with England, Wales, and Scotland suffering widespread flooding. Daily hours of sunshine Unsurprisingly, the heat wave that spread across the British Isles in 2018 was the result of particularly sunny weather. July 2018 saw an average of 8.7 daily sun hours in the United Kingdom. This was more hours of sun than was recorded in July 2024, which only saw 5.8 hours of sun. Temperatures are on the rise Since the 1960s, there has been an increase in regional temperatures across the UK. Between 1961 and 1990, temperatures in England averaged nine degrees Celsius, and from 2013 to 2022, average temperatures in the country had increased to 10.3 degrees Celsius. Due to its relatively southern location, England continues to rank as the warmest country in the UK.

This dataset provides information about the number of properties, residents, and average property values for Sun Ray Drive cross streets in London, KY.

The UK hourly solar radiation data contain the amount of solar irradiance received during the hour ending at the specified time. All sites report 'global' radiation amounts. This is also known as 'total sky radiation' as it includes both direct solar irradiance and 'diffuse' irradiance as a result of light scattering. Some sites also provide separate diffuse and direct irradiation amounts, depending on the instrumentation at the site. For these the sun's path is tracked with two pyrometers - one where the path to the sun is blocked by a suitable disc to allow the scattered sunlight to be measured to give the diffuse measurement, while the other has a tube pointing at the sun to measure direct solar irradiance whilst blanking out scattered sun light.

For details about the different measurements made and the limited number of sites making them please see the MIDAS Solar Irradiance table linked to in the online resources section of this record.

This version supersedes the previous version of this dataset and a change log is available in the archive, and in the linked documentation for this record, detailing the differences between this version and the previous version. The change logs detail new, replaced and removed data. These include the addition of data for calendar year 2023.

The data were collected by observation stations operated by the Met Office across the UK and transmitted within the following message types: SYNOP, HCM, AWSHRLY, MODLERAD, ESAWRADT and DRADR35 messages. The data spans from 1947 to 2023.

This dataset is part of the Midas-open dataset collection made available by the Met Office under the UK Open Government Licence, containing only UK mainland land surface observations owned or operated by the Met Office. It is a subset of the fuller, restricted Met Office Integrated Data Archive System (MIDAS) Land and Marine Surface Stations dataset, also available through the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis - see the related dataset section on this record.

The United Kingdom's hottest summer ever recorded was in 2018, with an average temperature of 15.76 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, 2023 saw the eighth hottest summer in the UK, with an average temperature of 15.35 degrees. In the last couple of decades, five of the top 10 warmest summers in the UK were recorded. New temperature records in 2022 In summer 2022, record-breaking temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius were recorded at several locations across the UK. Accordingly, 2022 was also the UK's warmest year on record, with the average annual temperature rising above 10 degrees Celsius for the first time. Since temperature recording began in 1884, the hottest years documented in the country have all occurred after 2003. England: the warmest country in the UK Amongst the countries that comprise the United Kingdom, England has generally seen the highest annual mean temperatures. In 2022, England’s average temperature also reached a new record high, at nearly 11 degrees Celsius. And while it’s not a typical sight in the United Kingdom, England also registered the most hours of sunshine on average, with Scotland being the gloomiest country out of the four.

The annual number of rain days in the UK has fluctuated over the past three decades. In 2024, there were 164 days in which 1 mm or more of rain fell. The year with the greatest number of rain days was 2000 when 178.5 days had at least 1 mm of rain. England is the driest country in the UK England is on average the driest country in the United Kingdom. In 2024, the country recorded an annual rainfall of 1020 mm. After England, Northern Ireland is the country that receives the least amount of rainfall across the UK. Wettest regions in Britain Despite Cardiff being the wettest city in the United Kingdom according to the Met Office, Scotland had received on average the largest volume of annual rainfall in the past ten years. The northern and western regions of the UK – where rainfall is arriving from the Atlantic – tend to be the wettest in the country.