Britain’s sunniest month of the year is not what you think it is

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably been living in the UK long enough to know how the four seasons go.

Spring: rainy. Summer: rainy with some sun. Autumn: rainy. Winter: rainy with Christmas.

The hottest days on record for England, Scotland and Wales have all occurred in August, while the sight of Wimbledon spectators drenched in sunshine in June has become commonplace.

By that token, you’d expect Britain’s sunniest month to fall within the summer. It’s a no-brainer, right? 

Well, actually, no.

Based on the last four decades in the UK, the sunniest month of the year is actually May.

But wait, we hear you scream while pointing at the second paragraph, isn’t May in Spring?

Nothing gets past you. However, May has averaged 194 hours of sunshine compared to 183 in July, 180 in June and just 172 in August, according to research from Pimm’s and independent analysts Weatherquest.

According to the research, May also has less rainfall than the summer months, so if you were planning to get out of the UK to enjoy the sun you might want to wait until 1 June.

In less surprising news, the sunniest towns and cities in the UK are all in the south of the country.

Dover tops the charts with 1,218 hours of sunshine between April and September, with Southampton and Bristol rounding off the top three.

Meanwhile, London is the hottest, with peak average temperatures of 23.4 degrees in July, while Cambridge and Southampton have both posted averages of 22.4 or higher.

If this has convinced you to stay in the UK over the summer and book a trip later in the year, here’s how to keep that run of sun going.

(Images: Getty)