What are the coldest temperatures ever recorded in the UK and the world?
There’s nothing people in the UK love talking about more than the weather, and so far, 2023 has given us plenty of material.
From the snowy scenes capping off 2022 to the recent cold snap which has seen school closures, the UK weather has once again proven to be memorable (for all the wrong reasons).
As people are reminded to check if they’re eligible for cold weather payments and urged to remain safe as temperatures plummet, it might be some consolation to learn that it’s been much, much colder in the past.
What is the lowest ever temperature seen in the UK?
What’s the coldest it’s ever got in the UK?
The lowest temperature ever recorded in the UK was in Scotland – and they actually have the dubious honour of hitting this milestone temperature on THREE different occasions.
Scotland recorded -27.2°C, the UK’s coldest ever temperature, in 1895, 1982 and 1995. The first two times were recorded in the same location, Braemar, Aberdeenshire, whilst in 1995 it was recorded in Altnaharra, Sutherland.
In England, the coldest ever temperature recorded was -26.1°C. This was recorded in Newport, Shropshire.
This temperature was recorded on the same day as one of Scotland’s three record-breaking temperatures. When Braemar saw the second recording of -27.2°C on January 10, 1982, England saw its coldest day too.
The winter of 1981–1982 in the United Kingdom was also called The Big Snow of 1982, and it saw a severe cold wave that was formed in early December 1981 last until late January in 1982. It ended up being one of the coldest Decembers recorded in the United Kingdom.
The coldest temperature in Wales −23.3 °C, recorded in Rhayader, Radnorshire in January 1940.
Northern Ireland’s coldest temperature is practically balmy in comparison to its UK counterparts, with a record low of -18.7 °C recorded in Castlederg, County Tyrone, in December 2010.
What’s the coldest temperature ever recorded in London?
While England’s coldest temperature was a chilly -26.1°C, the record low temperature for Greater London is −16.1°C.
This temperature was recorded at RAF Northolt on New Year’s Day, 1962.
What’s the coldest temperature ever recorded in the world?
The world record for lowest temperature recorded is -89.22°C.
The shockingly low temperature, which converts to -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit, was recorded on July 21, 1983 at Vostok, Antarctica.
The recording was later confirmed by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in Russia.
So, though it may be cold in the UK right now, consider this; it could always be worse.
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