The annual number of rain days in the UK has fluctuated over the past three decades. In 2024, there were *** days in which * mm or more of rain fell. The year with the greatest number of rain days was 2000 when ***** days had at least * 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 **** 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 10 years. The northern and western regions of the UK – where rainfall is arriving from the Atlantic – tend to be the wettest in the country.

There were around 15 rainy days in the United Kingdom in July 2024. A rainday is when one millimeter or more of rain occurs in a day. The highest number of rain days was recorded in December 2015, at 22.2 The fourth quarter was the wettestThe wettest periods of the year tend to be the start and the end. In 2023, the fourth quarter was the wettest, with an average of 419 mm of rainfall. October and December of that year recorded the highest monthly rainfall levels at 177 and 189 mm, respectively. Regional weatherDue to the United Kingdom’s geographical location and landscape, weather conditions can vary greatly. Scotland is, on average, the wettest country. Most rainfall is concentrated in the Scottish Highlands, as precipitation often occurs in mountainous regions. As rainfall comes in from the Atlantic, the northern and western parts of the UK are most susceptible to precipitation. This explains why England is the driest of all the regions, as rain deposits reduce as they move east.

In March 2023, there were***** rain days in England. This was the greatest number of rain days recorded in a month during the period in consideration. For comparison, in March 2025, there were just *** rain days. February 2020 was also an especially wet month in the United Kingdom, with an average rainfall of ***** millimeters. The month with the fewest number of rain days during this period was May 2020, with just *** rain days.

Context

The dataset featured below was created by reconciling measurements from requests of individual weather attributes provided by the European Climate Assessment (ECA). The measurements of this particular dataset were recorded by a weather station near Heathrow airport in London, UK.

-> This weather dataset is a great addition to this London Energy Dataset. You can join both datasets on the 'date' attribute, after some preprocessing, and perform some interesting data analytics regarding how energy consumption was impacted by the weather in London.

Content

The size for the file featured within this Kaggle dataset is shown below — along with a list of attributes and their description summaries: - london_weather.csv - 15341 observations x 10 attributes

1. date - recorded date of measurement - (int)
2. cloud_cover - cloud cover measurement in oktas - (float)
3. sunshine - sunshine measurement in hours (hrs) - (float)
4. global_radiation - irradiance measurement in Watt per square meter (W/m2) - (float)
5. max_temp - maximum temperature recorded in degrees Celsius (°C) - (float)
6. mean_temp - mean temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) - (float)
7. min_temp - minimum temperature recorded in degrees Celsius (°C) - (float)
8. precipitation - precipitation measurement in millimeters (mm) - (float)
9. pressure - pressure measurement in Pascals (Pa) - (float)
10. snow_depth - snow depth measurement in centimeters (cm) - (float)

Source

Weather Data - https://www.ecad.eu/dailydata/index.php

The wettest months in the United Kingdom tend to be at the start and end of the year. In the period of consideration, the greatest measurement of rainfall was nearly 217 millimeters, recorded in December 2015. The lowest level of rainfall was recorded in April 2021, at 20.6 millimeters. Rainy days The British Isles are known for their wet weather, and in 2024 there were approximately 164 rain days in the United Kingdom. A rainday is when more than one millimeter of rain falls within a day. Over the past 30 years, the greatest number of rain days was recorded in the year 2000. In that year, the average annual rainfall in the UK amounted to 1,242.1 millimeters. Climate change According to the Met Office, climate change in the United Kingdom has resulted in the weather getting warmer and wetter. In 2022, the annual average temperature in the country reached a new record high, surpassing 10 degrees Celsius for the first time. This represented an increase of nearly two degrees Celsius when compared to the annual average temperature recorded in 1910. In a recent survey conducted amongst UK residents, almost 80 percent of respondents had concerns about climate change.

The United Kingdom experienced an average of ******* millimeters of rainfall in 2024, a decrease of *** percent in comparison to the previous year. While 2024 saw substantial rainfall, it did not surpass the thus-far peak of the century, with ***** millimeters of rain recorded in 2000. Regional variations and seasonal patterns Rainfall distribution across the UK is far from uniform, with Scotland and Wales consistently receiving the highest annual precipitation. In 2024, they recorded an average of ******* millimeters and ******* millimeters, respectively, significantly above the UK’s average. This disparity is largely due to both countries’ mountainous terrain, which is more susceptible to Atlantic weather systems. Seasonally, the wettest months in the UK typically occur in the winter, with the highest precipitation levels seen between November and February. Climate change impact on UK weather Climate change is influencing UK weather patterns, leading to warmer and wetter conditions overall. While annual rainfall fluctuates, there is a trend towards more extreme weather events. For example, 2020 and 2022 saw rain deviations from the long-term mean in the UK of more than 100 millimeters in February. As weather patterns continue to evolve, monitoring rainfall trends remains crucial for understanding and adapting to a changing climate.

1999-2017 - London SWT Weather data

Site: SWT

Country\City\Location: UK\London\ Southwark WoodsfordTower SWT

Latitude: 51.487760; Longitude: -0.091069

Anemometer height: 60 m

Weather station owner: Bill Legassick, Southwark Council. Contact: Tel: 020 7525 4253 | Fax: 020 7525 5705

Email: Bill.Legassick@southwark.gov.uk

Sensor:

Sensor type:---- Model -------------: Date Installed

Anemometer : CDL Windset (EC8) ......... : 1999

Rain gauge : Campbell Scientific ARG-100 : 1999

Temperature: T107_C .....................: 1999

Humidity : HMP45A .....................: 1999

Files: Are Zipped

Filenames: Weather_Data_2008.CSV

Filetype: comma delimited

Header Row:Date and Time,Battery Voltage,CR10 Temperature,Wind Direction 10 Minutes,Wind Speed 10 Minutes,Wind Gust 10 Minutes,Hourly AverageDirection,Hourly Average Speed,Hourly Maximum Gust,Hourly Gust Time,Hourly Gust Direction,Last Minute Average Temperature,Total Hourly Rain,Average RH over previous minute,Maximum Hourly Air Temperature,Minimum Hourly Air Temperature,MaximumHourly Rainfall Rate,Time of Rainfall

Data: hourly averages

London Weather Data From 1979 to 2023

Dataset Overview

This dataset provides daily weather observations from Heathrow, United Kingdom (STAID: 1860), spanning the period from 1979 to 2023. The data is sourced from the European Climate Assessment & Dataset (ECA&D) and includes multiple weather parameters such as temperature, precipitation, sunshine, and more.

Data Content

• DATE: Date in YYYYMMDD format.
• TX: Daily maximum temperature in 0.1°C.
• TN: Daily minimum temperature in 0.1°C.
• TG: Daily mean temperature in 0.1°C.
• SS: Daily sunshine duration in 0.1 hours.
• SD: Daily snow depth in 1 cm.
• RR: Daily precipitation amount in 0.1 mm.
• QQ: Daily global radiation in W/m².
• PP: Daily sea level pressure in 0.1 hPa.
• HU: Daily relative humidity in %.
• CC: Daily cloud cover in oktas.

Each parameter includes an associated quality code: - 0: Valid data - 1: Suspect data - 9: Missing data

Source and Licensing

This dataset is freely available for use provided that the following source is acknowledged:

Klein Tank, A.M.G. and Coauthors, 2002. Daily dataset of 20th-century surface air temperature and precipitation series for the European Climate Assessment. International Journal of Climatology, 22, 1441-1453.
Data and metadata are available at http://www.ecad.eu.

Notes

• Missing values are denoted as -9999.
• Data has been blended and updated from multiple sources: 116440, 903772, 903672.

This dataset is a valuable resource for researchers, data analysts, and enthusiasts interested in exploring long-term weather patterns and trends in London.

Spring (March–May): Average 7.7–13.3°C, mild and rainy, with occasional showers but increasing sunshine. Popular activities: Visiting museums, art galleries, Tower Bridge, and enjoying city walks. Recommended clothing: Light jacket, comfortable shoes, portable rain gear. Summer (June–August): Average 16.8–18.1°C, warm and humid, with occasional showers but generally sunny and ideal for outdoor activities. Popular activities: Picnics in Hyde Park, visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens, and Thames River cruises. Recommended clothing: Light and breathable clothing, sun hat, sunscreen. Autumn (September–November): Average 12.7–7.9°C, temperatures gradually decrease, with more rainfall and overcast skies. Popular activities: Visiting museums, theaters, enjoying afternoon tea, and experiencing London's cultural atmosphere. Recommended clothing: Warm jacket, scarf, umbrella. Winter (December–February): Average 5.9–7.0°C, cold and damp, with frequent rain or snow, and shorter daylight hours. Popular activities: Visiting indoor attractions, shopping, and enjoying Christmas festivities. Recommended clothing: Heavy coat, sweater, scarf, gloves, hat.

Between 2001 and 2024, the average rainfall in the United Kingdom varied greatly. In 2010, rainfall dropped to a low of 1,020 millimeters, which was a noticeable decrease when compared to the previous year. However, the following year, rainfall increased significantly to a peak of 1,889 millimeters. During the period in consideration, rainfall rarely rose above 1,500 millimeters. In 2024, the annual average rainfall in the UK surpassed 1,386 millimeters. Monthly rainfall On average, rainfall is most common at the start and end of the year. Between 2014 and 2024, monthly rainfall peaked in December 2015 at approximately 217 millimeters. This was the first of only two times during this period that the average monthly rainfall rose above 200 millimeters. This was a deviation from December’s long-term mean of some 134 millimeters. Rainfall highest in Scotland In the United Kingdom, rain is often concentrated around mountainous regions such as the Scottish Highlands, so it is no surprise to see that – on average – it is Scotland that receives the most rainfall annually. However, in 2024, Wales received the highest rainfall amounting to approximately 1,600 millimeters. Geographically, it is the north and west of the United Kingdom that receives the lion's share of rain, as it is more susceptible to rainfall coming in from the Atlantic.

Description

Context

This dataset provides a complete, day-by-day record of the weather at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) for the entire year of 2023. As one of the world's busiest travel hubs, LHR's weather data is a valuable resource for time-series analysis, feature engineering, and predictive modeling.

This dataset is clean, ready-to-use, and ideal for anyone looking to analyze seasonal patterns, weather trends, or (as in the original project) predict the best time to schedule a holiday.

Content

The dataset contains a single CSV file (export.csv) with 365 rows, one for each day from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The data is sourced directly from the Meteostat historical API for the London Heathrow station (ID: 03772).

Column Descriptions:

• date: The date of the observation.
• tavg: The average air temperature in degrees Celsius (°C).
• tmin: The minimum air temperature in degrees Celsius (°C).
• tmax: The maximum air temperature in degrees Celsius (°C).
• prcp: The total precipitation in millimeters (mm).
• snow: The snow depth in millimeters (mm).
• wdir: The average wind direction in degrees (°). (Note: This column is empty in the 2023 data).
• wspd: The average wind speed in kilometers per hour (km/h).
• wpgt: The peak wind gust in kilometers per hour (km/h).
• pres: The average sea-level air pressure in hectopascals (hPa).
• tsun: The total sunshine duration in minutes (min).

Source

This data was collected from Meteostat, an open-access platform for historical weather and climate data.

• Station: London Heathrow (LHR), Station ID 03772
• Data URL: https://meteostat.net/en/station/03772?t=2023-01-01/2023-12-31

Context

The idea is to have a very simple time series dataset to be used for experiments with easy but effective visualizations on actual data. It is amazing how much a single graph can comunicate syntehetically a lot of information.

Content

The dataset was downloaded from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), the data is in the public domain and can be used freely. If interested in generating a similar dataset from another station you can start from the Search Tool select Daily Summaries, the time range of interest, search for Cities and in the Search Term put the city you're looking for. When selected you need to add to Cart like an order but there is no charge for ordering data from Climate Data Online as explained in their FAQs.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to National Centers for Environmental Information for collecting and making available for free meteorological data from many stations all over the world. In case using the same dataset or generating a new one from NCEI you need to cite the origin.

Inspiration

Mostly to see how many different effective visualizations can be generated from a very simple dataset.

London\ 2008\ SWT Raw Data

Data Type: Weather station

Site information:

• Latitude: 51.487760
• Longitude: -0.091069
• Anemometer height: 60 m
• Owner: Bill Legassick, Southwark Council. Contact: Tel: 020 7525 4253 | Fax: 020 7525 5705
• Email: Bill.Legassick@southwark.gov.uk

Sensor information

Sensor type Model Date installed
Anemometer CDL Windset (EC8) 1999
Rain gauge Campbell Scientific ARG-100 1999
Temperature probe T107_C 1999
Humidity probe HMP45A 1999

Files: Are Zipped

Filenames: Weather_Data_2008.CSV

Filetype: comma delimited

Header Row:Date and Time,Battery Voltage,CR10 Temperature,Wind Direction 10 Minutes,Wind Speed 10 Minutes,Wind Gust 10 Minutes,Hourly Average Direction,Hourly Average Speed,Hourly Maximum Gust,Hourly Gust Time,Hourly Gust Direction,Last Minute Average Temperature,Total Hourly Rain,Average RH over previous minute,Maximum Hourly Air Temperature,Minimum Hourly Air Temperature,Maximum Hourly Rainfall Rate,Time of Rainfall

Data: hourly averages

Areal rainfall is calculated at a daily timestep for 5 areal units which cover London using the Soil Moisture Model developed and run by the Environment Agency.

For each areal unit, the areal rainfall and soil moisture deficits (SMDs) are calculated.

• Areal rainfall – This is calculated using rainfall data collected at one or more rain gauges situated within each areal unit. This is then averaged and weighted across each areal unit.
• Soil moisture deficits (SMDs) are calculated using the areal rainfall data and the potential evaporation (PE) estimated for each unit.Realistically, the SMD would vary slightly during the day given showers/thunderstorms etc and the PE would also vary with the time of day and temperature.This sort of detail is not available and unnecessary for most water resources studies, so the SMD is referred to as the day end value.

All areal rainfall and SMD data provided by the Environment Agency use the best available data at the time of running the soil moisture model and is subject to periodic updates and verification.

For SMD, best practice is to refer to end-of-month values and compare with long term average end-of-month values (1961-90).

Context

Simple time series data for weather prediction time series projects.

Content

The data contains the following information from the UK Met Office location at London Heathrow Airport. The data runs from Jan 1948 to Oct 2020 and includes the following monthly data fields:

• yyyy = Year
• mm = Month
• tmax = Maximum temperature (Celsius)
• tmin = Minimum temperature (Celsius)
• af = Count of Air Frost days in the given month
• rain = Total rainfall (mm)
• sun = Sunshine duration (hrs)

Acknowledgements

Provided by the UK Met Office: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/historic-station-data Available under Open Government Licence: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Example code

The following Python code will load into a Pandas DataFrame:

colspecs = [(3, 7), (9,11),(14,18),(22,26),(32,34),(37,42),(45,50)] data = pd.read_fwf('../input/heathrow-weather-data/heathrowdata.txt',colspecs=colspecs)

The following will remove the first few lines of text

data = data[3:].reset_index(drop=True) data.columns = data.iloc[1] data = data[3:].reset_index(drop=True)

Since 2015, the greatest monthly rainfall deviation in the United Kingdom occurred in February 2020. This month saw a considerable increase of 139 millimeters from the long-term mean. In comparison, the same month in 2023 saw a decrease of almost 40 millimeters compared to the mean from 2002 to 2021.

The UK hourly rainfall data contain the rainfall amount (and duration from tilting syphon gauges) during the hour (or hours) ending at the specified time. The data also contains precipitation amounts, however precipitation measured over 24 hours are not stored. Over time a range of rain gauges have been used - see the linked MIDAS User Guide for further details.

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.

The data were collected by observation stations operated by the Met Office across the UK and transmitted within the following message types: NCM, AWSHRLY, DLY3208, SREW and SSER. The data spans from 1915 to 2020.

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. A large proportion of the UK raingauge observing network (associated with WAHRAIN, WADRAIN and WAMRAIN for hourly, daily and monthly rainfall measurements respectively) is operated by other agencies beyond the Met Office, and are consequently currently excluded from the Midas-open dataset.

The dataset includes digitized and rescued monthly rainfall records collected from various stations in Istanbul by foreign scientists, engineers, and officials during the last century of the Ottoman Empire, from 1856 to 1917 with long-term monhtly rainfall (1912-2023) from Kandilli Observatory and Turkish State Meteorological Service.Observatories in Istanbul:Observatory,Latitude,Longitude,Elevation(m)Gulhane,41.0113,28.9793,35Halkali,41.0335,28.7883,119Haydarpasa,41.0013,29.0210,34Kandilli,41.0637,29.0604,133Ortakoy,41.0479,29.0228,32Pera,41.0278,28.9761,51Bebek,41.0768,29.0421,50Erenkoy,40.978,29.091,60Florya,40.9758,28.7865,35

Meteorological measurements have been collected at Silwood Park campus of Imperial College London since 1947 to 2024 (ongoing)