Weather

Weather

Many who live in London would swear that global warming has added a twist to the city’s unpredictable climatic conditions. While locals used to complain about the frequent, but still somehow always unforeseen, arrival of rain, now they find themselves faced with sudden outbreaks of sunshine and heat instead. Recent summers have seen record temperatures, approaching 40°C. As the tube turns into the Black Hole of Calcutta and traffic fumes become choking, London is particularly ill-equipped to cope with such heat.

However, meteorologists point out that recent statistics don’t represent anything terribly out of the ordinary yet for such a naturally variable climate. The average maximum temperature for July, the hottest month, is still only about 23°C. In spring and autumn temperatures drop to between 13°C and 17°C. In winter the average daily maximum is 8°C, the overnight minimum 2°C. Despite the appearance of snow in the past few years, it still rarely freezes in London.

What weather forecasters do predict in the long term, as a result of climate change in London, is drier summers, wetter and stormier winters and more flash floods. Meanwhile, for more immediately useful reports on actual and imminent conditions in Greater London, ring Weathercall (0906 654 3268, per min 60p) or visit www.bbc.london.co.uk/weather for a five-day forecast.