Come rain or shine, there is one thing that people in the UK are always ready to talk about – the weather. Whether it is the stereotypical rain that is readily associated with this grey collection of islands at the northwestern edge of Europe, or hot summers like that of 2025, nothing gets the Brits chattering like a good gossip about the weather.
New research conducted by the UK’s Met Office has discovered that people in the UK spend, on average, about 56.6 hours each year talking about the weather. That’s more than two full days out of a calendar 365.
The research was conducted over the course of this year’s summer, which, with two weeks still go, is on track to be one of the warmest on record – the mean temperature for the period from June 1 to August 17 stands at 16.2°C (as of August 19), which is 1.5°C above the long-term average for the season.
Of the people the Met Office surveyed, 60% said that the weather is their “go-to small talk topic”, with 79% saying they check the weather forecast daily. The research also revealed an appetite for weather education and learning more about the changing climate – 23% of people surveyed reported a genuine interest in weather patterns; a fifth (20%) said they wanted to learn more about weather patterns: and 21% said they were focussing more on the “broader societal impacts of the weather, beyond day-to-day clothing”, the Met Office said.
Met Office meteorologist and senior presenter Alex Deakin explained, “Weather has always helped bring people together and this research underlines how talking about the weather is more than a curiosity, but a necessity for many people.
“While a seemingly simple topic that binds us all together, the research shows how people are more interested in the inner workings of the weather than you might assume. The volume of people showing an interest in complex weather patterns and how they can influence critical industry and sectors highlights how the weather shapes our lives, livelihoods and even our national identity.”
The research comes as the Met Office launches its Smart Talk campaign, aiming to deepen understanding of the power of weather and climate intelligence, not only for everyday conversation but also for critical national infrastructure, economic growth and value for government.
In related news, forecasters from NOAA’s National Weather Service have reported the number of expected named storms in the Atlantic with winds of 39mph to be 13-18 in this year’s hurricane season (June 1-November 30), with 5-9 expected to become hurricanes (winds of 74mph or greater) and 2-5 major hurricanes (winds of 111mph or greater). Read the full story