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 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 *** 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 **** days in March of the latter year. The driest month was May 2020, with just *** 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 *** hours of monthly average sunshine.

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.

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

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.

Since the turn of the century there has been little change in the average daily sunshine hours in the United Kingdom. In 2024, an average of 3.8 daily sun hours was recorded. This year saw the lowest amount of daily sunlight during the period in consideration, 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.

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

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.

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

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)

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 2019.

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. Of particular note, however, is that as well as including data for 2019, historical data recovery has added temperature and weather data for Bude (1937-1958), Teignmouth (1912-1930), and Eskdalemuir (1915-1948).

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 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.

The United Kingdom's hottest summer ever recorded was in 2018, with an average temperature of ***** degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, 2023 saw the eighth hottest summer in the UK, with an average temperature of ***** 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 ** 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 ** degrees Celsius for the first time. Since temperature recording began in ****, 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 ** 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.