United Kingdom weather records


The United Kingdom weather records note the most extreme weather ever recorded in the United Kingdom, such as the most and fewest hours of sunshine and highest wind speed.

Records

As of 1 June 2020, the records as recorded since by the Met Office were:

Highest temperature

Lowest temperature

Rainfall

DurationLevelLocationDate
Highest 5-min totalapprox. Preston, Lancashire10 August 1893
Highest 30-min totalEskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway26 June 1953
Highest 60-min totalMaidenhead, Berkshire12 July 1901
Highest 90-min totalDunsop Valley, Lancashire8 August 1967
Highest 120-min totalWalshaw Dean Lodge, West Yorkshire19 May 1989
Highest 155-min totalHampstead, London14 August 1975
Highest 180-min totalHorncastle, Lincolnshire7 October 1960
Highest 24-hour total Honister Pass, Cumbria5 December 2015
Highest 24-hour total Martinstown, Dorset18 July 1955
Highest 48-hour total Thirlmere, Cumbria4 to 5 December 2015
Highest 72-hour total Seathwaite, Cumbria17 to 19 November 2009
Highest 96-hour total Seathwaite, Cumbria16 to 19 November 2009
Highest monthly totalCrib Goch, Snowdon1 to 31 December 2015

Sunshine

Wind speed

holds the unofficial British record for wind speed. A gust of was reported on 1 January 1992. An earlier gust in 1962 was recorded at 177 mph, both at RAF Saxa Vord. However, it is expected that higher gusts than those reported would have been achieved as during both storms the measuring equipment was destroyed by the extreme weather.
A wind gust of was recorded at Cairn Gorm on 19 December 2008.

Snowfall

Atmospheric pressure