UK rain

Well, I live here, and all I can say is- your guess is as good as mine, lol.

Better than an umbrella is a hooded windbreaker. We've been to the UK more than 40 timw in over 20 years. Never had much of a problem with rain. One heavy thunderstorm in York and some drizzle elsewhere. Never lasted more than a day.

I second Toni's suggestion to bring a hooded jacket. That leaves your hands free to take pictures. What you have to realize about the UK is that there is generally one word for the weather and that is changeable. ; ) You just have to be prepared for rain so that you won't let a soft day stop you from going places. Do pay attention to the weather forecast when you are there. I was pretty impressed with how good a job they could with one exception. The BBC constantly has a black cloud over Scotland and my experience is that it can vary within 20 miles due to mountains. (The Scots think that this is typical Englishness in their refusal grant that the sun shines in Scotland.)

I've not been to the UK in May/June, but I've been in September on the other end of summer and in five walking trips of 7 days each, we've only been totally rained out once. There was one time when I pooped out, but the others kept going--they were right! And on the day that we all agreed that the damp and become soaking wet we checked out the local shops and galleries. It was very nice day.

Pam

We have been in the UK in May and June many times and have never had problems with the rain. It rained a little a couple days on each trip but never stopped us from what we wanted to do. It's really hard to tell someone what the weather will be like..... our friends who live in Kent told us that a few years ago they didn't have any rain in the summer a few years ago.

Anything can happen ....
However, on average West is much wetter than East because of the geography.
s

We just returned from two weeks in Scotland, mainly the highlands. The weather changed frequently, often several times in a day. We didn't get a lot of rain, when it did rain it usually only lasted about twenty minutes. Weather systems seemed to be small---drive a few miles and no more rain. Temperatures also kept changing---from shirt-sleeve weather to light-weight fleece weather.

Every location in the UK is close to the sea, which has a lot to do with its changeable weather.

However, the place is not soggy, nor is London particularly foggy. (Much of the fog of legend was really coal-derived smog.)

Tourists often notice rain more than the locals because they are traveling, moving between one weather systems and the next.

Sure, it rains and gets cloudy. Carry a little umbrella or a hooded jacket, just in case.

May is a great time to be in the UK. It's spring. Temperatures begin to rise in June, and highs in the mid-80's in London are not unusual. That may not seem especially warm to an American, but consider that many buildings are not air conditioned and have less than good ventilation.

It is true about buildings being warmer in the UK.

I live in Boulder, Colorado, and do not get uncomfortably cold until the thermometer drops around 58F, but when I was in London in April, it was in the mid 60s at least and heaters were on in all shops.

My English friends there wore coats while I wore a thin sweater.

We got soaked in May. It was such a perfect day, we decided to drop some weight at our hotel room before going to the British Museum, including leaving our rain shells behind. A few hours later we came out of the Museum and it was pouring. The short sprint to the Tube left us completely soaked.

Other than that we had mostly beautiful weather in May. We had to dash into a restaurant in York once, at dinner time, because it was starting to rain.

My rule now is enjoy the nice weather but never get more than arms length from your rain shell.

Tami, dunno about you, but I've found that Tube stations can be especially warm, winter or summer, down by the tracks. It's really apparent in winter, when you go about bundled up against the cold, and then take an escalator deep into a Tube stop where they've got the heat cranked up. Victorian technology at its finest.

On umbrellas: I recommend people get one of those travel umbrellas that collapse into something about 6 inches long. Stick it in a bag, a pocket, whatever. I visit the UK in the fall when it is cool enough to wear a light jacket. The umbrella goes in an inside coat pocket. Most often, it stays there.

A friend of mine who spent some time in London suggested that a rainshell/jacket is better than an umbrella because the wind tends to blow the rain sideways so an umbrella can offer little protection. I was in London in Sept 07 and was lucky to get 3 days of glorious weather. Going back again in October and plan to pack a rainjacket and an umbrella as well!

An old saying goes, "There is no bad weather, just the wrong type of clothing."

End of June, early July is Wimbledon tennis. Traditional Wimbledon weather is eating your strawberries and cream in a downpour. This year, dry as a bone. Who knew?

As said above, the BBC weather is getting better and better with their 5 day forecasts. I'd check every day, though.

Not liking rain much I carry a waterproof hat if there is a chance of substantial wetness. I don't like umbrellas much.