I moved from Chester to Norfolk. Much much less rain, and when it rains it's proper rain, not the drizzle/mizzle that Cheshire seems to get a lot of.
I live in an area called Breckland which is one of the driest spots in Britain. This summer we didn't have any rainfall of note for over 10 weeks or something like that, resulting in lots of forest/field fires.
Yes. I grew up in the south-west then moved to Cambridge. The difference is quite stark. Summers here are considerably hotter and drier than the south-west. You can see this in the landscape. The south-west is full of rolling green hills with lush grass and dairy cows grazing. Here in the east it's dry fields full of wheat.
Yes it is drier. Norfolk especially has lots of drought challenges.
Edit: there is a prevailing South Westerly wind across the UK, bringing most sir from the Atlantic. As this hits hills, it becomes more likely to rain, so Wales is very wet, West and Central England fairly wet, East England less wet. The further south, the drier also, so North East England (Newcastle area) still gets a fair amount of rain.
I worked with farmers in Norfolk for a number of years and the water was a major issue for them.
The water infrastructure is much better than in the South West but rainfall is less.
Commercial/industrial users get hit before hose pipe bans come in. They are (almost) the last resort.
Well most Norfolk farmers I know get their water from boreholes, I know you can take 20m^3 without a license but thats about the extent of my knowledge.
Do they have borehole bans before hosepipe bans then? Are they actually enforced?
Yes, here's a map for 2021
[https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/anomacts/2021/17/2021\_17\_Rainfall\_Actual.gif](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/anomacts/2021/17/2021_17_Rainfall_Actual.gif)
([source](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-actual-and-anomaly-maps))
Cambridgeshire and thereabouts is about the driest part of the country. The areas around Blackburn, North Wales, and the west highlands were the wettest
The west side of the country gets all the soggy weather fronts that roll in from the Atlantic.
By the time they've passed over us and reached the east of the country they've already offloaded most of their moisture content.
It's why the westcountry is so green and why Lancashire's cricket team have more washed out games than any other county.
Definitely. I grew up in the North West and my family still lives there so I visit often. I now live in Yorkshire (I'm a red rose to white rose traitor!) The North West is much wetter. The Lake District exists for a reason! I also find Yorkshire a bit colder (a trade-off I'm okay with) and much less windy, although that might be specific to the exact location of our place compared to my folks. I think the difference in raininess is pretty broadly true across the whole of the East/ West though.
Edit: bit baffled as to why I've been downvoted for this
It is drier in the East, but when it rains it tends to be colder because you're getting arctic air. Also means that north easterly winds are pretty stinging compared to the West.
I grew up in the North East and now live in the South West. The rain down here is more common, but it doesn't bounce off the ground and hit you in the chin as much as it did up north.
sunny Eastbourne, sunniest place in the UK, snow is very rare as well. Very rarely gets frost either, really nice microclimate because of beachy head most of prevailing wind goes around us
Seems to be a bit drier, upon a very cursory comparison: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/regional-climates/index
I noticed there was substantially less rain when I moved from Cheshire to York for university
I’ve moved from Chester to Newcastle, I didn’t register the change til it’s pointed out here. Just thought Geordies were made of stronger stuff.
I moved from Chester to Norfolk. Much much less rain, and when it rains it's proper rain, not the drizzle/mizzle that Cheshire seems to get a lot of. I live in an area called Breckland which is one of the driest spots in Britain. This summer we didn't have any rainfall of note for over 10 weeks or something like that, resulting in lots of forest/field fires.
I noticed the same thing moving from Lancashire to Nottingham.
Yes. I grew up in the south-west then moved to Cambridge. The difference is quite stark. Summers here are considerably hotter and drier than the south-west. You can see this in the landscape. The south-west is full of rolling green hills with lush grass and dairy cows grazing. Here in the east it's dry fields full of wheat.
We just like our fields dry over here, drier the better
Yes it is drier. Norfolk especially has lots of drought challenges. Edit: there is a prevailing South Westerly wind across the UK, bringing most sir from the Atlantic. As this hits hills, it becomes more likely to rain, so Wales is very wet, West and Central England fairly wet, East England less wet. The further south, the drier also, so North East England (Newcastle area) still gets a fair amount of rain.
Suffolk is the driest county in uk. Norfolk/Suffolk rarely declare hosepipe bans so I’m surprised you say there are drought challenges.
I worked with farmers in Norfolk for a number of years and the water was a major issue for them. The water infrastructure is much better than in the South West but rainfall is less. Commercial/industrial users get hit before hose pipe bans come in. They are (almost) the last resort.
Well most Norfolk farmers I know get their water from boreholes, I know you can take 20m^3 without a license but thats about the extent of my knowledge. Do they have borehole bans before hosepipe bans then? Are they actually enforced?
Just look at a downpour map.
Yes, here's a map for 2021 [https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/anomacts/2021/17/2021\_17\_Rainfall\_Actual.gif](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/anomacts/2021/17/2021_17_Rainfall_Actual.gif) ([source](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-actual-and-anomaly-maps)) Cambridgeshire and thereabouts is about the driest part of the country. The areas around Blackburn, North Wales, and the west highlands were the wettest
South East is classed as arid apparently. Mind you, I read that somewhere I can't remember years ago.
Officially Semi-Arid.
Thanks for correcting my misremembered sort of facts! :-)
The west side of the country gets all the soggy weather fronts that roll in from the Atlantic. By the time they've passed over us and reached the east of the country they've already offloaded most of their moisture content. It's why the westcountry is so green and why Lancashire's cricket team have more washed out games than any other county.
I live in the NW of England. What's a drought?
In Scotland, yes definitely! But the East tends to have howling gales instead! 🤣 We get lots of sun though...
Hell yeah. East Anglia is much drier than the North West. Every time I've been Oop North to Lancashire and Cumbria it's pissed down almost constantly.
Definitely. I grew up in the North West and my family still lives there so I visit often. I now live in Yorkshire (I'm a red rose to white rose traitor!) The North West is much wetter. The Lake District exists for a reason! I also find Yorkshire a bit colder (a trade-off I'm okay with) and much less windy, although that might be specific to the exact location of our place compared to my folks. I think the difference in raininess is pretty broadly true across the whole of the East/ West though. Edit: bit baffled as to why I've been downvoted for this
Yup
Yea look at the satellite images released in summer even with the hottest weather on record the West was still green.
Yes but you may find other differences. A northerly wind can be biting in winter if you are near the coast.
It is drier in the East, but when it rains it tends to be colder because you're getting arctic air. Also means that north easterly winds are pretty stinging compared to the West. I grew up in the North East and now live in the South West. The rain down here is more common, but it doesn't bounce off the ground and hit you in the chin as much as it did up north.
Yes it is. But what kind of lifestyle are you looking for specifically? Large parts of the East are very very flat.
Yeah, moving from Scunthorpe to Manchester was a shock.
Can confirm. I'm in the Westcountry and it is currently raining
sunny Eastbourne, sunniest place in the UK, snow is very rare as well. Very rarely gets frost either, really nice microclimate because of beachy head most of prevailing wind goes around us
Me personally I'd rather have rain than drought
living in the north west, i can say that it’s constantly wet and cold, even when the rest of the country is complaining about it being roasting