If you're planning anything outdoors in London, the good news is the city is drier than people think — less rainfall than Manchester, Cardiff or Glasgow, and a rain shadow effect from the Welsh hills keeps totals down. The bad news is unpredictability: Atlantic fronts, Continental heatwaves and North Sea easterlies all reach London, sometimes in the same week. August can be genuinely stifling once the urban heat island takes hold — central London routinely sits a couple of degrees above the surrounding countryside.
Check today's verdict in the app →If you're swimming open-water in London — the Serpentine, Hampstead Ponds, the Thames at Teddington — the city's slightly warmer microclimate helps, but the season is governed by water temperature, not air, and the ponds stay cold well into May even when the city feels summery.
WeatherForIt gives you an instant Yes / Take Care / Best Avoided for Open-water swimming in London right now — based on live conditions for the next few hours.
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