Climate of Great Britain
The climate in Great Britain is generally mild and
temperate due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. The south-western winds
carry the warmth and moisture into Britain. The climate in Britain is usually
described as cool, temperate and humid.
British people say: "Other countries have a
climate, in England we have weather."
The weather in Britain changes very quickly. One day
may be fine and the next day may be wet. The morning may be warm and the
evening may be cool. Therefore it is natural for the people to use the
comparison "as changeable as the weather" of a person who often
changes his mood or opinion about something. The weather is the favourite topic
of conversation in Britain. When two Englishmen are introduced to each other,
if they can't think of any thing else to talk about, they talk about weather.
When two people meet in the street they will often say something about weather
as they pass, just to show their friendliness.
Every daily paper publishes a weather forecast. Both
the radio and television give the weather forecast several times each day.
The English also say that they have three variants of
weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon or when
in rains all day long. Sometimes it rains so heavily that they say "It's
raining cats and dogs".
Rainfall is more or less even throughout the year. In
the mountains there is heavier rainfall then in the plains of the south and
east. The driest period is from March to June and the wettest months are from
October to January. The average range of temperature (from winter to summer) is
from 15 to 23 degrees above zero. During a normal summer the temperature
sometimes rises above 30 degrees in the south. Winter temperatures below 10
degrees are rare. It seldom snows heavily in winter, the frost is rare. January
and February are usually the coldest months, July and August the warmest. Still
the wind may bring winter cold in spring or summer days. Sometimes it brings
the whirlwinds or hurricanes. Droughts are rare.
So, we may say that the British climate has three main
features: it is mild, humid and changeable. That means that it is never too hot
or too cold. Winters are extremely mild. Snow may come but it melts quickly. In
winter the cold is humid cold, not the dry one.
This humid and mild climate is good for plants. The
trees and flowers begin to blossom early in spring.
In the British homes there has been no central heating
up till recently. The fireplaces are often used. but the coal is not used as
it's very expensive. Britain has no good coal now and imports it itself. Many
schools and universities have no central heating either, and the floors there
are made of stone. The British bedroom is especially cold, sometimes electric
blankets or hotwater bottles are used.
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