UK Business Blog

Climate: Intro

Click to see the complete UK climate graph.

One of the globally recognised features of the United Kingdom is its rainfall. Some people would be excused for thinking we wear nothing but raincoats, wellington boots and a frown in our day-to-day activities. While at certain times of the year, this is not a far off estimation, there is a lot more to the climate than simply rain. Sunlight (yeah, we do get that), temperature, wind speeds and any hazardous weather are things you may want to know about before setting up your business here. And who doesn’t like rain anyway? It keeps fields luscious and green, reservoirs well-stocked and ducks very happy.

If you can bear a bit of rain and like the spontaneity of an unpredictable but generally moderate climate, then you’ll find that the UK is a great place to live or set up a business. The devotion to improving climate change, the supportive response to natural disasters and the sight of a British man wearing socks and sandals in the summertime make it a fantastic place to be!

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Climate: Climate Change 

Drought - one of the effects of climate change.

The UK is not exempt from increasing global efforts to address global warming by reducing carbon footprints. The rise in the Earth’s temperature, causing hazardous weather conditions and ruining lives is something which is concerning world leaders and already affecting parts of the globe. 2010 was one of the warmest and freakishly cold years on record in the UK and the average temperature is set to rise by 2050, as researched by the Met Office.

The United Kingdom Climate Change Programme created in 2000 listed strategies employed by the government which aim to cut emissions and improve the climate activity for the future of the UK. The strategies were:

The UK wants to help these guys.

• Improve business’ use of energy, stimulate investment and cut costs;
• Stimulate new, more efficient sources of power generation;
• Cut emissions from the transport sector;
• Promote better energy efficiency in the domestic sector, saving householders money;
• Improve the energy efficiency requirements of the building regulations;
• Continue cutting emissions from agriculture;
• Ensure the public sector took a leading role.

No, not stars. It's European lights at night.

In 2008 Parliament passed the Climate Change Act, ordering an 80% cut in carbon emissions from the 1990 baseline; by 2050 a tangible target which will hopefully serve as evidence that these changes are being successfully implemented.

Katie Jamieson

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Climate: Hazardous Weather 

In 2001, the UK was struck by the freakiest spell of weather since 1982. In the streets, Brits could be heard crying….. “It’s Raining Men!” Seriously though, the UK is very fortunate to rarely experience natural disaster in comparison to other nations, and very seldom are the effects devastating. However, there have been incidents of extreme weather resulting in death and complete domestic and industrial destruction.

• Floods

The most common natural hazard here are flash floods. Unlike other natural disasters in the UK, floods have been known to kill hundreds of people at a time. They can affect anywhere in the country (North, East, South and West) and most recent ones have taken place in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009.

• Cyclones

The UK experiences many small cyclones each year. Though they rarely injury people, they do cause some damage to property. However, The Great Storm of 1987 and the Burns’ Day Storm of 1990 both caused deaths and casualties. Other times and with warning, effects can be less severe, like Hurricane Gordon (2006), which hit the South-West of the UK and caused a power shortage for approximately 1,000 homes. No injuries were reported though, and some locals thought it made excellent surfing conditions!

• Earthquakes

Almost all UK earthquakes are too faint to be felt by humans. The largest recent earthquake was Lincolnshire earthquake in 2008, which registered a 5.2 on the Richter scale and resulted in damage to homes and businesses.

• Snow and Low temperatures

In winters 2009-10 and 2010-11 the UK has experienced episodes of freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall, nicknamed ‘The Big Freeze’. This period of weather brought transport to a standstill, caused a drop in the economy for Q4 2010, and caused deaths as a result of icy road conditions, or hypothermia in elderly people.

Katie Jamieson

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Qunitessential Brit!

Climate: Sunlight Hours

The UK enjoys increased hours of sunshine during June, July and August just like other Northern hemisphere nations. A bit of sun never goes amiss here, when the clouds are parted we love to slap on a bit of suncream, whip out our deck chairs and moan about being too warm.

Annual: UK Sunshine Hours 1929-2010

Katie Jamieson

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Climate: Rainfall

Quite a conversation topic in the UK! With so many different types, rainfall forms a real umbrella of terms. Speaking of which, don’t ever be without one of those when in the UK! It’ll protect you from mist, spray, spit, drizzle, showers, sleet, downpour, hail and cloudburst! It may even give you flying powers, like Mary Poppins.

Katie Jamieson

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Katie Jamieson

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Katie Jamieson

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Katie Jamieson

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Katie Jamieson

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Climate: Temperature

Due to its latitude, the UK experiences something called Temperate Maritime, which sounds like a serene pirate. To demonstrate what this means for temperature, there is a plethora of beautifully-coloured, highly technical graphs I could show you that represent temperature change in the UK, but all those dots and bars don’t give a comprehensive regional overview. Conversely, I could use Microsoft Windows Paint to draw a thermometer protruding out of the Thames with a number on it, but that might seem crude. Luckily, I’ve had the Met Office working on this since 1971 instead.

Katie Jamieson

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