Britain an island country and the surrounding sea gives UK a varied climate. We never know what the weather will be like from one day to the other. It can be sunny one day and rainy the next. As we have such a variable climate changing from day to day, it is difficult to predict the weather.

The overall climate in Britain is called temperate maritime. This means that it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0ºC in winter and not much higher than 34ºC in summer. It also means that it is damp and is subject to frequent changes.

July is normally the warmest month in UK. Around the coasts February is normally the coldest month, but inland there is little to choose between January and February as the coldest month.

Seasons

Britain has four seasons

		Spring	-	March to May
		Summer	-	June to August
		Autumn	-	September to November
		Winter	-	December to February

In the winter, the temperature drops below freezing point. It is cold, wet and windy and it sometimes snows between December and March. In the mornings we have to scrape the ice from our cars.

In the summer, it can be as hot as 32 degrees Celsius, in 2003 the summer was very hot and temperature reached a maximum of nearly 35 degree Celsius

The reason for Britain's weather being different is because different air masses (wind) come from each direction as follows:

		North	-	Arctic very cold
		East	-	Continental from Europe and Asia. The winds are cold and dry.
		South	-	Tropical warm
		West	-	Maritime air has crossing Atlantic bringing cloud and rain. The winds are warm and wet

The best ways to cope with unpredictable weather are

		Make a habit of carrying an umbrella
		Wear a waterproof, windproof jacket
		Learn to layer your clothing, especially on the top half of your body
		Wear sturdy, well-made shoes with rubber soles and good tread, to stop you from slipping in wet and frosty conditions