‘Is it true that in London it is always raining?’ my friends from Italy, known as a warm country, are asking me this question all the time.
‘No, it’s not always like this…’ I dissimulate trying not to think about my last summer, my shorts, and my flip-flops.
I came back to London a couple of weeks ago, and have had just three days of proper sun. Yes, I feel the London weather more than others. The problem is not only the rain, it is also the wind and the low temperature.
The question is: ‘What is the reason for this bad weather?’ As the studies show, the UK is in the mid-latitudes, where cold air from the poles meets the air from the tropics. Additionally, there is the Atlantic Ocean on one side of the country, and the large landmass of Europe on the other.
So yes, we have to wear thick coats, bring an umbrella everywhere, and have the heater on from October until May.
London has all the elements of being my favourite city, but the weather has an important influence on my life. It actually depends on which country you are from: for a Norwegian person, this weather will be fine, but for someone from the Canary Islands it would be a different story.
Individuals from Germany maintain that the weather makes a big difference to their lives, as they are more motivated to work if the weather is not good. If it is raining, for example, they find it easier to focus. On the other hand, the Portuguese find that they have to close their eyes against the strong winds, and lie down on the grass like lizards as soon as a sunbeam breaks through the sky. For the Irish, everything is different, as they are used to these temperatures, whereas, for the Welsh, the London climate is often warmer and less rainy.
If you walk around London on a rainy day, you will be surprised by the coffee shops full of people, particularly the tourists. For a Londoner, everything is different. Have you ever noticed that Londoners walk with a normal pace in the bad weather, and it seems that they do not care about it? Some don’t even use umbrellas. ‘It will stop raining and then it will start again, what is the point of bringing an umbrella?’ is their customary attitude. It is also true that as soon as you get into the tube or into any shop you have to take all your layers off because of the heat.
After seeing cyclists pedalling in shorts, I think about myself, always with an extra pullover in my bag in case of the cold, or running to the closest sheltered spot in case of the rain.
Ok, I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.
DISCLAIMER: The articles on our website are not endorsed by, or the opinions of Shout Out UK (SOUK), but exclusively the views of the author.
