Climate summaries

Overview of weather across the UK for previous months, seasons and years

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UK last month

July 2023

July was an unsettled month - often cool, dull, windy and with a lot of rainfall, in stark contrast to June. The jet stream was generally shifted much further south than in June, with the weather often rather autumnal in character. Any hints of drier and warmer weather proved short-lived. Through the month, a succession of frontal systems made regular west-to-east progress across the UK. Although there was a brief very warm spell around the 7th-9th, the hottest places just touching 30°C, this soon broke down with thunderstorms.

Temperatures were generally below average, particularly daily maximum temperatures, frequently failing to reach above 20°C. Rainfall was above average throughout the UK, with more than 200% of average across the west of Northern Ireland, Lancashire, Merseyside and the Manchester area and parts of Devon, Dorset and Wiltshire. The UK overall rainfall total was 170% of average overall, making this provisionally the wettest July since 2009 and sixth wettest July in the series. Northern Ireland provisionally recorded its wettest July on record with 207%, just ahead of July 1936. Sunshine was below normal, particularly across southern and western areas with the UK recording 81%.

The UK monthly extremes were as follows: A maximum temperature of 30.2°C was recorded at Chertsey (Surrey) on the 7th. A minimum temperature of 1.2°C was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch (Highland) on the 26th. In the 24 hours ending at 0900 UTC on the 23rd, 110.9 mm of rain fell at White Barrow (Devon). A wind gust of 69 knots (79 mph) was recorded at Needles Old Battery (Isle of Wight) on the 1st.

Regional values for July 2023