Last update:

8th May 2008

Quick links:

Weather records

Rainfall

Temperature

Wind

Sunshine

Historic weather in the South West:

Spring 2007

Winter 2006/2007

2006 annual average

Flooding

Flash floods in the South West

Geography

Topography

Climate Change

Useful websites:

MET Office - South West climate

Forecast for Devon & Cornwall

Forecaste for the West Country (rest of the region)

Shipping forecast

South West weather observations

MET Office - mapped averages

South West climate - the MET Office

Flood mapping - Environment Agency

The Environment Agency's Floodline

Weather and climate

What's new on this page...

• Seasonal average temperatures, sunshine & rainfall in the South West 2007 - 2008
• Latest weather & forecasts for the South West

Background

The South West is one of the warmest and wettest regions in the country.

The peninsular nature of the region has a strong influence on our climate, with the sea surrounding three sides of the region. This part of the coast has the highest mean annual temperature of any sea area in the UK (11 - 12°C), which keep our coastal climates mild and prevents very low temperatures.

Away from the coast, altitude is the main factor affecting temperature, with mean temperature decreasing with height. High areas such as Dartmoor are likely to experience the lowest temperatures.

Find out the weather now

Keep up to date with the latest information on weather wherever you are in the South West. Services available from the Met Office include:

• Latest weather
• Forecasts
• Weather warnings
• Marine weather and forecasts

Weather records

Regional weather observations are available from the Met Office, which provides hourly updated wind, temperature, visibility, pressure and weather (e.g. cloudy, sunny etc). Seasonal forecasts are also available.

Long term historical data is also available for St Mawgan in Cornwall (since 1955) and Yeovilton in Somerset (since 1964) in terms of mininum and maximum temperature, grass temperature, rainfall and sunshine. Data for other stations in the UK is available here.

A database of mapped averages is available here

The MET Office also provide details of past climate in the region, in the form of contoured maps of monthly, seasonal and annual averages. The analyses are based on 1 km grid-point data sets which are derived from station data covering the latest 30 year period for taking climate statistics (1971 - 2000).

Rainfall

Key features of average annual rainfall totals in the South West, as defined by the Met Office are:

• 850-900mm in the Isle of Scilly
• 900-1000mm in most coastal areas of Cornwall and Devon
• Up to 2000m in upland areas such as Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor
• Lower rain falls in areas adjacent to the regions high ground (Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor) such as Exeter (800mm) and the low-parts of central Somerset (700mm)
• Annual totals often exceed 1100mm in the Mendip Hills
• 800-900mm in the Bath and Bristol areas

The map below shows the average annual rainfall in the region. Clearly evident is the fact that the west of the region (Cornwall, Devon and parts of Somerset) are wetter than the eastern area (Dorset, Bath & North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and the Bristol City area).

The affects of altitude are also clear,. with Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor all receiving on average 1231 - 2584 mm of rain a year. Low lying areas such as the Somerset Levels, however, receive as little as 644mm per year, see map below.

In terms of the number of days receiving at least 1mm of rain, the picture is very similar. The western parts of the region receive at least 151 days of rain, whilst the eastern part generally have 122 - 151 days, as can be seen in the map below.

Find out more about flooding or flash flood events in the South West.

Temperature

Temperature throughout the country is monitored by the Met Office. Key features of temperature in the South West, according to the MET Office, include:

• The sea surrounding the South West has the highest annual mean temperature of any sea area near to the UK, close to 11 to 12 °C.
• With winds mainly blowing from the sea the annual mean temperatures remain around 11 to 12 °C in the coastal areas of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
• Away from the coast, altitude is the main factor affecting temperature. The mean temperature decreases with height with, for example, Princetown at 414 metres on Dartmoor having an annual mean temperature of about 8 °C.
• The strong maritime influence normally prevents very low temperatures.

The map below reveals the clear relationship between proximity to the coast and higher annual average temperatures. Coastal areas generally have less than 66 days of ground frost throughout the region. Cornwall has particularly few days of frost in comparison to the more inland areas of the region.

High altitudes also result in a higher number of days of ground frost (up to 114 days experienced in parts of Exmoor and Dartmoor).

The influence of altitude and proximity to the coast can also be seen by the map of minimum average temperature in July between 1971 and 2000. High ground such as Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor are clearly visible, recording the lowest minimum July temperatures of around 9 - 11°C, whilst coastal and lower lying areas rarely fell below 12°C.

Other temperature maps for the region are available here.

Wind

The Met Office describes the South West as being one of the most exposed regions in the UK, with wind speeds on average only greater in western Scotland.

Wind speeds are generally highest near the coast and at high altitudes in the region, for example St Mawgan (on the North Cornwall coast) has a mean wind speed that is two-thirds higher than in Yeovilton (lowland Somerset).

Sunshine

Sunshine records in the South West, as described by the Met Office, show that the region has a high number of sunshine hours in comparison to the rest of the UK. Key features include:

• Above 1600 hours of sunshine are recorded for coastal areas
• The south coast has more sunshine hours than the north (Bristol channel)

As can be seen in the map below, the inland and upland areas of the region can experience significantly less sunshine hours than the coast (as few as 1348 hours in parts of Exmoor). This is due to the fact that convective cloud often forms inland, especially near hills, and acts to reduce sunshine amounts.

Historic weather in the South West

Winter averages 2007 / 2008

December 2007 saw close to average daily mean temperatures over the UK, with January and February 2008 recording well above average temperatures. Daily mean temperatures for the winter period were 1 to 2 °C above average across most of the UK. Despite these well above average temperatures, it was not as warm as winter 2006/7. The coldest spell in terms of UK mean daily temperatures occurred during the middle of December 2007. Provisionally, winter daily maximum temperatures over the UK were 1.6 °C above average and daily minimum temperatures were 0.7 °C above average.

December 2007 and February 2008 both had close to average rainfall over the UK, with January 2008 having well above average rainfall. Over the winter period, rainfall was above average for the majority of the UK, with only a few southern and eastern areas recording less than average. Parts of north Wales, northern England and Scotland recorded over 150% of their average winter rainfall. January was a particularly wet month across many areas, with parts of northern England and Scotland having over double their average rainfall. Provisionally, it was the wettest January in the areal series back to 1914 for the East Scotland climate district and the 2nd wettest for northern England.

December 2007 and February 2008 both had above average sunshine duration over the UK, with January 2008 having close to average sunshine. February was exceptionally sunny across England and Wales, with some eastern areas recording over double their average sunshine. Provisionally, it was the sunniest February in the areal series back to 1929 for the UK, England, Wales and climate districts of England and Wales. For the winter season, sunshine was well above average across much of the UK, although parts of South West Scotland received slightly less than average. Provisionally it was the sunniest winter in the series back to 1929 for the UK.

In the South West and South Wales area, averages for winter 2007/2008 show:

• a maximum temperature of 9.1°C, which was 1.9°C warmer than the 1961-1990 long term average
• a minimum temperature of 3°C, which was 1.3°C warmer than the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• a mean temperature of 6°C, which was 1.6°C warmer than the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• 221.5 actual hours of sunshine, which was 136% of the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• 386.8 mm of rainfall, which was 103% of the 1961 - 1990 long term average

Autumn averages 2007

In the South West & South Wales area, averages for autumn 2007 show:

• a maximum temperature of 14.3°C, which was 0.8°C higher than the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• a minimum temperature of 7.4°C, which was 0.5°C higher than the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• a mean temperature of 10.8°C, which was 0.7°C warmer than the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• 338.5 actual hours of sunshine, which was 114% of the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• 205.3 mm of rainfall, which was 58% of the 1961 - 1990 long term average

Summer averages 2007

In the South West & South Wales area, averages for summer 2007 show:

• a maximum temperature of 18.7°C, which was 0.1°C lower than the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• a minimum temperature of 11°C, which was 0.5°C higher than the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• a mean temperature of 14.8°C, which was 0.2°C higher than the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• 535 actual hours of sunshine, which was 96% of the 1961 - 1990 long term average
• 387.7mm of rainfall, which was 164% of the 1961 - 1990 long term average

Spring averages 2007

Weather records for spring 2007 in the South West (including South Wales) show a maximum temperature of 14.2°C. This was 2°C warmer than recorded the region during spring 2006.

At 5.7C, the South West & South Wales had the highest minimum temperature recorded in the English regions, almost a full degree higher than the UK average. The average minimum temperature in the region was also slightly warmer than in 2006 (5.7°C in 2007 compared to 5°C in 2006) as was the mean temperature (9.9°C up from 9°C in 2006).

With 585.5 hours of sunshine, the South West was sunnier than the UK average (537.2 hours), only the South East & South Central region recorded higher (612.8 hours). Hours of sunshine in the region was above the long-term average and was also higher than recorded in spring 2006 (425.7).

261mm of rain fell in the region during the spring of 2007, only just slightly higher than the long-term average and lower than recorded in spring 2006 (309.2mm). The South West & South Wales area recorded more rainfall than any other English region.

These initial averages use data available from about 180 observing sites available on 1 June 2007. They represent an initial assessment of the weather that was experienced across the UK during Spring 2007 and how it compares with the 1961 to 1990 average. The columns headed 'Anom' (anomaly) show the difference from or percent of the 1961-90 long term average.

Source: Met Office (2007)

Winter averages 2006/2007

Weather averages for the winter of 2006/2007 shows that maximum temperatures were higher in the South West & South Wales area than the UK and English average: 9.3°C compared to 8.2°C and 9°C respectively. This was 2.1°C higher than the long-term average. Average maximum temperature in the region was higher than in the winter of 2005/2006 (7.2°C)

Minimum temperatures averaged 4.2°C in the region, which was 2.5°C higher than the long-term average. This was considerably warmer than the average of 1.6°C recorded during the winter of 2005/2006.

Mean temperature in the South West & South Wales area was 6.7°C during winter 2006/2007. Again, this was higher than the UK and English average and 2.3°C higher than the long-term average. Mean temperature was warmer in 2006/2007 than the winter of 2005/2006, when temperature averaged just below the long-term average at 4.4°C.

There were just under 196 hours of sunshine, just above the long-term average and above the UK average of 170 hours but below the English average of 190 hours. This was considerably lower than in 2005/2006, when there were 180.2 hours of sunshine.

464.3mm of rainfall was recorded in the South West & South Wales area during the winter of 2006/2007, above the long-term average and significantly higher than the English average of 297mm and 30mm higher than the UK average. The winter of 2006/2007 was significantly wetter than in 2005/2006, when 236mm of rain fell (which was below the long-term average).

These initial averages use data available from about 180 observing sites available on 1 March 2007. They represent an initial assessment of the weather that was experienced across the UK during Winter 2006/2007 and how it compares with the 1961 to 1990 average. The columns headed 'Anom' (anomaly) show the difference from or percent of the 1961-90 long term average.

Source: Met Office (2007)

Annual averages 2006

Weather records for 2006 as a whole show that the South West & South Wales area was warmer than both the UK and English averages. Average maximum temperature was 14.1°C with minimum temperature averaging at 7.1°C. This was slightly warmer than the average for 2005, when maximum temperature was 13.9°C and minimum 6.7°C.

Both maximum and minimum temperatures in the region were above the long-term average.

There were 1616 hours of sunshine, which was above the UK average of just under 1496 hours but slightly below the English average of 1626 hours. Although this was slightly above the long-term average, it was below that recorded in 2005 (1582.2 hours).

Just under 1192mm of rain fell in the South West & South Wales area, just below the long-term average but higher than both the UK and English average (1196mm and 846mm respectively). Compared to the 2005 average, rainfall was slightly up by around 90mm (1101.6mm was recorded in 2005).

These final averages use quality controlled data from the UK climate network of observing stations. They show the Met Office's best assessment of the weather that was experienced across the UK during 2006 and how it compares with the 1961 to 1990 average. The columns headed 'Anom' (anomaly) show the difference from or percent of the 1961-90 long term average.

Source: Met Office (2007)

Seasonal weather - Nature's calendar

Phenology, the science of recording natural regularly occurring events, already provides some of the longest written biological records in Britain. In autumn 2000 the Woodland Trust forces joined with the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology to promote phenology to a far wider and larger audience.

Over 21,000 people across the UK are now actively involved with the UK Phenology Network, collecting valuable information on seasonal occurrences in order to help to demonstrate how climate change is affecting our wildlife and habitats.

Live maps, trends and data is all available online to help track nature's calendar, such as the first signs of spring or species distribution. You can also create your own graph or map to view records of key sightings (with up to 250 years of data available) or from your own records. For more information or to get involved, visit the Phenology website