London’s weather is a delightful mix of seasons. The summers are short, comfortable, and mostly cloudy, with temperatures typically ranging from 39°F to 74°F. On the other hand, the winters are long, very cold, windy, and often cloudy. Rarely do temperatures fall below 30°F or climb above 84°F.
If you’re a sun-lover, the best time to visit London is during the summer months. Specifically, late June to early September offers the most pleasant weather for outdoor activities. This period coincides with the peak tourism season, with July being the warmest month.
London’s Temperatures: A Visual Guide
Imagine a colorful map that captures the average temperature of London for every hour of the year. The horizontal axis represents the days of the year, while the vertical axis showcases the hours of the day. The color intensity reflects the average temperature for that specific hour and day. This visual representation gives you a comprehensive understanding of London’s temperature patterns throughout the year.
For those seeking similar climates, Picnic Point, Washington, located over 4,700 miles away, is the closest match to London. The temperature similarities between these two destinations might surprise you!
Sun’s Journey Across the London Sky
Another helpful visualization focuses on the sun’s path across the London sky. This graph depicts the sun’s elevation (angle above the horizon) and azimuth (compass bearing) for each hour of every day.
The horizontal axis again represents the days of the year, while the vertical axis denotes the hours of the day. The background color for each hour and day reveals the sun’s azimuth at that moment. Black lines, known as isolines, trace areas of consistent solar elevation. This visual tool lets you anticipate the sun’s position in the sky at any given time throughout the year.
The Best Time for Your London Trip: Tourism & Beach/Pool Scores
To help you plan your perfect London trip, we’ve developed two unique weather scores. The tourism score considers clear, rain-free days with comfortable temperatures between 65°F and 80°F, ideal for exploring London’s attractions. According to this score, the best time to visit for general outdoor activities is from late June to early September, with July boasting the highest score.
If you’re looking for warm weather ideal for beach or pool activities, the beach/pool score is your guide. It prioritizes clear, rain-free days with temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time to visit London for hot-weather activities is from mid-July to mid-August, with the last week of July experiencing the peak score.
To determine these scores, we analyze hourly data for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and precipitation from 1980 to 2016. Each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM is evaluated individually, and the scores are then combined into a single hourly composite score. These composite scores are then aggregated daily, averaged over all years in the analysis period, and smoothed for a comprehensive view.
Our cloud cover score ranges from 10 for fully clear skies to 1 for fully overcast skies, with linear reductions for partially cloudy conditions. Our precipitation score, based on three-hour precipitation intervals, ranges from 10 for no precipitation to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more, with linear decreases for trace precipitation.
Our tourism temperature score is based on perceived temperature: It is 0 for temperatures below 50°F, increases linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, then decreases linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or above.
Similarly, our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for temperatures below 65°F, increasing linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, decreasing linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. These scores provide a clear picture of the best times to visit London, depending on your preferences for weather and activities.
