![]() The region is also sometimes loosely described as the West Country. This is a smaller area than the UK Government's South West England region, which also covers Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Dorset. Information in this article relates to the Met Office definition of south-west England, which covers Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, the City of Bristol and the Isles of Scilly. ![]() Annual amounts are around 1700/1800 hours for places like Torquay, Falmouth, Newquay and Ilfracombe, whilst inland areas such as Yeovil, Tiverton and Exeter are cloudier, prone to fog and consequently 1450/1600 hours are more typical. Sunshine is highest on the coast as convective clouds tend to form slightly inland as the ground heats up faster. Exposed areas of the moors are windier than the lowlands and can be almost as windy as the coast. Both of these factors also result in the highest levels of snowfall and the lowest levels of sunshine. Because of their high altitude they experience lower temperatures and more precipitation than the rest of the south west (approximately twice as much rainfall as lowland areas). The south-west has areas of moorland inland such as Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor. The general coastal climate becomes more prevalent further south-west into the region. ![]() Coastal areas are the windiest parts of the peninsula and they receive the most sunshine. Rainfall is lowest at the coast and snowfall there is rarer than the rest of the region. In comparison to inland areas, the coast experiences high minimum temperatures, especially in winter, and slightly lower maximum temperatures during the summer. This typical climate of inland areas is more noticeable the further north-east into the region. They experience the lowest wind speeds and the total sunshine hours are between those of the coast and the moors. Snowfalls are more frequent in comparison to the coast, but less so in comparison to higher ground. They have the highest summer maxima temperatures, but winter minima are lower than those of the coast. Inland areas of low altitude experience the least amount of precipitation. Government organisations predict the area will experience a rise in temperature and become the hottest region in the United Kingdom. The south west is the second windiest area of the United Kingdom, the majority of winds coming from the south-west and north-West. ![]() Similarly, prolonged heat is fairly rare, however in recent years there have been more heatwave related conditions, albeit fairly short affairs but in July 2022 temperatures have hit 36 ☌ (96.7 ☏) in Bude and other parts of the region temperatures were between 33 and 35 ☌ (91-95 ☏) widely in more inland locations. Cold snaps are generally less intense or prolonged in the south west and rarely does the temperature fall below -15 ☌ (5 ☏). Summer maxima averages range from 18 ☌ (64 ☏) in the Scillies to 22 ☌ (72 ☏) in the east north-east of the region and winter minima averages range from 1 ☌ (34 ☏) in the north-east of the region to 5 ☌ (41 ☏) across the extreme south-west of Cornwall and the Scillies. Exeter / parts of West Somerset that are subject to a rain shadow effect and annual rainfall is closer to 30 inches. Exceptions include areas to the east of high ground ( e.g. Annual rainfall is about 1,000 millimetres (39 in) and up to 2,000 millimetres (79 in) on higher ground. The oceanic climate is typified by frequent cloudy skies, cool winters with cool summers and precipitation all year round, with more experienced in winter. The climate of south-west England is classed as oceanic ( Cfb) according to the Köppen climate classification. The Met Office region of South West England, shown within England.
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