Comments on: Why the British get so excited about weather

By: Natalia

Natalia — Tue, 25 May 2010 06:02:05 +0000

As an Australian, living in the UK means you have to endure ‘but why did you move here? The weather in Australia is so lovely!’ Of course everyone forgets Australia is so huge, and that the weather is different throughout the year, in different places. Also, they forget how lovely the weather can be here in the UK! And you are right -having seasons is glorious! I think Brits are now just hardwired to complain about the weather, but if you point things out to them (how lovely Spring can be, how welcome warm weather is when it comes, how beautiful a bleak, still grey Winter day can be) and they take a moment to move away from that reflexive thinking, they might agree with you.

Yesterday picking my son up from school, after a weekend of sunny weather, I was gobsmacked to see that almost every single parent was sunburned – shoulders pink as candy proudly on display. Even if it doesn’t happen all that often, don’t these people care about skin cancer! But other posters are right – as soon is there is a touch of sun, off come the shirts so you can roast yourself.

BTW – Melbourne, Australia, is well known for having ‘four seasons in one day’. Another part of the world with unpredictable weather

By: chris_on_Kos

chris_on_Kos — Mon, 24 May 2010 13:03:58 +0000

OMG! I was rolling when I read this article. Running a small bed and breakfast in Greece, I’ve had many British guests over the years. If I had ten cents for everyone who told me it was raining in the UK, I could retire! When I commented to someone that the Brits are obsessed with the weather they couldn’t see it. However, after they thought about it, they told me I was right. Of course living on a Greek island where we’re pretty much guarranteed the summer weather for at least five months, one needs to take that into account. Thank you for your humorous article and confirming my thoughts on the British obsession. All being told though, I can’t blame them!

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 24 May 2010 12:39:33 +0000

It’s so funny that you posted this b/c I just recently traveled with some Brits. I and couple of others had to give them a hard time because it seems like they may complain about it being too dark and cold and wish for warm weather, but once the warm weather comes, they complain that it’s too hot and they’re getting sunburned

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Mon, 24 May 2010 11:13:11 +0000

Thanks for the many great comments. I laughed at your “estoy caliente” remark Abi! Such a great mistake to make; it’s sure to win you friends
@soultravelers3 no need to feel bad for us Brits. As you can see here, we’re all pretty happy with the weather we have in all its glorious uncertainty.

By: Alice

Alice — Mon, 24 May 2010 10:26:44 +0000

It’s so true! But as you point out, the weather is worthy of talking about. You’ve got a great point about the seasons too – I spent some a few months living in the Solomon Islands and with them so close to the equator, every day the sun rose at 5am, and set prompt at 6pm. Every day the weather was unchangable: hot and humid with a rainshower around midday – you could set your watch (if you had one!) by the sun and the showers. I like a bit of variety myself.

By: Abi

Abi — Mon, 24 May 2010 08:55:06 +0000

Absolutely! I didn’t realise how much I talked about the weather until I moved abroad! On the other hand, it’s a nicer, more generic (if not that exciting!) conversation starter…much safer than “So, what do you do?”
The only danger now is that in Spanish, it’s pretty easy to confuse “It’s so hot!” with “I’m so horny!”
After getting that wrong a few times, I’ve noticed I don’t talk about the weather so much anymore…

By: Mark Pawlak

Mark Pawlak — Mon, 24 May 2010 08:04:48 +0000

It’s also the default way of talking to complete strangers. Ever noticed how quickly it comes into conversation when you are talking to someone you only just met?

Regardless of age, colour or nationality, it’s the one thing that unites us; the one thing we can share, and the only thing we can always agree on: the bloody weather!

It’s going to tip 30 today, and it’s May! Just remember, this is no guarantee of a summer. You know how it goes around these here parts… Oh, no you don’t, and that’s the real problem, we just don’t have a clue what the weather will be like.

Best of all are the crisp spring and autumn days. Bright, clear, with air cool on the inhale and fresh on the skin.

The seasons, we love ‘em – but you can keep the rain!

By: ciki

ciki — Mon, 24 May 2010 07:51:55 +0000

the only thing bad about British weather is the summer. there are only 4 months of it..? LOL

By: Erin

Erin — Sun, 23 May 2010 20:37:33 +0000

Haha so true! We have left the UK permanently mainly due to the weather – I don’t like the unpredicatablity and the lack of sun. When we explained this to our friend in Buenos Aires he couldn’t understand it – can the weather really affect you that much? Yes! We Brits are all obssesed with it.

By: soultravelers3

soultravelers3 — Sun, 23 May 2010 20:31:33 +0000

This is soo true! It has really tickled us during our stay in Europe the last four years. I also lived in NYC for years, so not a great comparison as it is almost as crazy at UK weather. I’ve already heard about the heat wave there and happy so everybody is enjoying it to the hilt!

Being from sunny California, we absolutely marveled at the Brits who would come to visit Spain in the winter. It seemed like they were sun starved and didn’t want to waste a second basking in it….while we of course took it for granted. It truly seemed odd to us to be that “hungry” about sun. We, like so many Spaniards in southern Spain, could also never understand why July and August ( unbearably hot & sunny months here which I have yet to experience as we hear how bad it is) happens to be the high season in Spain with tons of British tourists.

Then we spent a July and August in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England. It was VERY enlightening. You poor folks ARE sun starved. In my 50 some years, I’ve NEVER experienced a cloudier, colder, grayer, rainier summer. It was far worst than the winter in southern Spain and caught us totally by surprise. I thought surely the summer months would be nice. It was like a funny movie when a spot of sun would come out for a few minutes & some folks would rush out to catch some rays.

I have very rarely been to the British Isles (in many years of travel ) where it didn’t rain, but I did expect more summer like weather in the summer. Oddly, the best weather I’ve ever experience there was 2 different years in September, which were delightful. ( After the horrible weather 2 summers ago, this past September made up for it as it’s always so much nicer as a tourist when the sun is out).

I have to give all the Brits big props for living in that weather, which I would find very hard to do. BUT I do love all the green and that wonderful British sense of humor …which is probably partly developed by the weather.