The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) requires the
calculation of averages for consecutive periods of 30 years,
with the latest covering the 1961-1990 period. However, many
WMO members, including the UK, update their averages at the
completion of each decade. Thirty years was chosen as a period
long enough to eliminate year-to-year variations.
These averages help to describe the climate and are used as
a base to which current conditions can be compared. Use the
links below to see a selection of station, district and
regional averages or contoured UK maps for a wide range of
weather elements.
How the averages and maps were
generated
Download a description of the analysis methods used to generate
the long-term averages.
More about analysis methods
More about how
the maps were created
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