UK Weather Records: The Hottest, Coldest, Wettest and Windiest Ever
British weather runs from 40.3°C to −27.2°C — a span of more than 67°C between the hottest and coldest days ever recorded. Here is every category of UK weather record in one place, with the locations and dates behind each number.
For a small, mild, maritime country, the UK holds a surprisingly wide set of weather extremes — the product of a position where warm air from the Sahara, cold air from the Arctic, and moisture-laden Atlantic storms all collide. The result is a record book that stretches from a 40°C summer afternoon in Lincolnshire to a −27°C winter night in the Cairngorms, and takes in some of the wettest and windiest conditions in Europe along the way.
Below are the headline records for each category. For the heat records specifically — which have been climbing fastest — see our full ranked list of the hottest days in UK history, and for the most recent additions, the 2026 UK heatwave records.
Every UK Weather Record
The all-time extremes across temperature, rain, snow and wind. Figures are from the Met Office; temperatures are shown °C first.
The first time the UK ever recorded 40°C. See the full ranked list of Britain's hottest days.
Recorded three times: Braemar (11 Feb 1895 and 10 Jan 1982) and Altnaharra (30 Dec 1995).
A single 24-hour total during Storm Desmond — a UK rainfall record.
The strongest gust ever recorded in the UK, at a Scottish mountain-top station.
The strongest low-level gust, recorded during an intense storm on the north-east coast.
One of the deepest level snow depths on record; the winter of 1946–47 produced far deeper drifts.
Temperature: 40.3°C to −27.2°C
The UK's hottest and coldest records sit almost 68°C apart. The heat record is recent — 40.3°C at Coningsby on 19 July 2022, the day Britain first passed 40°C. The cold record is much older and remarkably stable: −27.2°C has been matched three times, all in the Scottish Highlands, at Braemar (1895 and 1982) and Altnaharra (1995). Unlike the heat record, which keeps climbing, the cold extreme hasn't moved in three decades — a warming climate lifts the floor faster than it lowers it. The full ranked heat list lives in the hottest days in UK history.
Rain, Snow and Wind
The wettest places in the UK are the western uplands — the Lake District, Snowdonia and the western Highlands — where Atlantic air is forced up over the hills. The single wettest day on record dumped 341.4 mm on Honister Pass, Cumbria, over 4–5 December 2015 during Storm Desmond, one of the events that reshaped how the UK plans for flooding.
Wind records belong to Scotland. The strongest gust ever measured in the UK — 173 mph — was recorded at the exposed summit of Cairn Gorm on 20 March 1986; the strongest low-level gust, 142 mph, hit Fraserburgh on the north-east coast in February 1989. For snow, the deepest level readings cluster in the Scottish uplands, with about 1.1 m recorded at Leadhills in January 1984, though the drifts of the 1946–47 winter remain the benchmark against which British snow is measured.
Records by Month and Season
The UK's monthly records tell their own story about the changing climate. July owns the all-time high (40.3°C, 2022). June's record fell as recently as 26 June 2026, when a provisional 37.3°C at Santon Downham beat a mark that had stood since 1976 — covered in full in the 2026 UK heatwave breakdown. The cold extremes cluster, unsurprisingly, in December, January and February, all in the Scottish glens. The Met Office maintains the full month-by-month extremes table; the pattern across it is that the warm-month records are being rewritten far faster than the cold ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the UK's hottest temperature on record?
40.3°C (104.5°F) at Coningsby, Lincolnshire on 19 July 2022 — the first UK reading above 40°C.
What is the UK's coldest temperature on record?
−27.2°C, recorded three times in the Scottish Highlands: Braemar (1895 and 1982) and Altnaharra (1995).
What is the UK's wettest day on record?
341.4 mm at Honister Pass, Cumbria, on 4–5 December 2015, during Storm Desmond.
What is the highest wind gust recorded in the UK?
173 mph (150 knots) at the summit of Cairn Gorm on 20 March 1986; the strongest low-level gust was 142 mph at Fraserburgh in 1989.
Keep Exploring
Dig into the hottest days in UK history, ranked, the 2026 UK heatwave records, and the UK's climate and seasons. You can also browse European weather on this day or look up any past UK date on our historical weather tool.
Sources
All records are from the Met Office “UK climate extremes” dataset, cross-checked against Wikipedia's “United Kingdom weather records.” The June 2026 figures are provisional pending Met Office ratification.