The current climate of the United Kingdom is classified as temperate, with warm summers, cool winters and plentiful precipitation throughout the year. The principle factors of influence on the climate include the UK's northerly latitude (which ranges from 50° to 60° N), its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and, especially, the warming of the waters around the British Isles by the Gulf Stream. The weather can be notoriously changeable from one day to the next but temperature variations throughout the year are relatively small.

The climate of the United Kingdom is significantly influenced by the maritime tropical, maritime polar, continental polar and continental tropical air masses.

The UK is at the boundary of convergence between the warm tropical air to the south and the cold polar air to the north. In this area, the large temperature variation creates instability and this a major factor that influences the notoriously changeable and often unsettled weather the UK experiences, where many or all types of weather can be experienced in a single day.

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Page 1 - Introduction / Overview (Current page)
Page 2 - Seasons
Page 3 - Regions
Page 4 - Sunshine & Clouds
Page 5 - The Atlantic Ocean
Page 6 - Winds
Page 7 - Rainfall
Page 8 - Temperature
Page 9 - Severe weather
Page 10 - Climate history

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