Bergen, Norway Securing the number one spot as the rainiest city in Europe is Bergen in Norway! Topping the data table for being both the city with the highest average rain days per month (12.7) as well as the highest average daily rainfall (8.8mm), Bergen is the outright rainiest city in Europe.
Mawsynram receives the highest rainfall in India. It is reportedly the wettest place on Earth, with an average annual rainfall of 11,872 millimetres (467.4 in), According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Mawsynram received 26,000 millimetres (1,000 in) of rainfall in 1985.
Despite its reputation as a vibrant and friendly place, Glasgow is the least sunny of Europe's major cities, with an average of just 1203 hours of sunshine a year. Glasgow becomes especially cloudy during summer when from June to September it receives less sunshine per month than other European cities.
The western highlands of Scotland in particular, is one of the wettest places in Europe with annual rainfall reaching up to 4,577 mm. Average measurable rainfall also occurs over 250 days in the Highlands and 175 days in other parts within the year.
Since 2011, rainfall in Scotland has typically been the highest out of the countries that comprise the United Kingdom. Rainfall in Scotland peaked at 1,862 millimeters in 2011. In the same year rainfall in England amounted to 712.8 millimeters.
In terms of rain, Northern Ireland is generally drier than both Scotland and Wales, but wetter than most of England. Really, in terms of weather, it is best to think of it as half way between England and Scotland in temperatures, and half way between England and Wales in rainfall.
Since 2011, rainfall in Scotland has typically been the highest out of the countries that comprise the United Kingdom. Rainfall in Scotland peaked at 1,862 millimeters in 2011. In the same year rainfall in England amounted to 712.8 millimeters.
Where is the rainiest place on Earth? Surprisingly, it's not Wales. According to Guinness World Records, the place with the highest average annual rainfall is the village of Mawsynram in northeastern India, which receives nearly 12,000mm of rain per year (Cardiff, in comparison, receives just 1,150mm).
Wales is also drier than Scotland in every month apart from May, June and December, and there are fewer days with rain than in Scotland. Sunshine totals throughout the year are more than that of Scotland and Northern Ireland, but less than that of neighbouring England.
Located on Spain's southeast coast, Alicante has the highest number of sunny hours in Europe. With an average of 349 hours of sunshine per month (an average month has 730 hours in total, including nighttimes), it's a dream destination for sun lovers. Roughly half of the day, every day, is sunny in Alicante.
Researchers at Betway recently set out to discover Britain's sunniest (and not so sunny) spots. London and Reading emerged as the places you're most likely to catch some rays, but at the other end of the spectrum, Bradford was revealed as the country's gloomiest city.
Travel Tip: Croatia, Greece and Italy have the warmest weather in Europe year-round. Summer in Southern Europe means lots of locals and tourists on holiday. They all make their way here to enjoy the incredible climate. If you don't enjoy big crowds or long queues, rather take the road less travelled.
In Mawsynram, India, no one leaves the house without an umbrella. The city is known as the wettest place in the world, with an average of 467 inches of rain a year. That's almost 39 feet.
If you're sick of putting on your raincoat and reaching for an umbrella amidst the dreary UK weather, then a spot of winter sun somewhere dry may be in order, and Almeria in Spain may be the perfect place. Europe's driest city is also one of the least rainy places in the world.
According to the UK's Met Office, London sees an average of 23.8 inches of rain per year. This might sound like a lot, but it's actually on par with other major cities in Europe, such as Paris, which sees an average of 23.6 inches of rain per year, and Amsterdam, which sees an average of 27.5 inches of rain per year.
Which part of the UK gets the least rainfall? The driest part of the country is certainly not in Scotland, however. For that, we need to look to eastern England. East Anglia, which incorporates the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, sees an average of just 626mm of rain per year.
Mawsynram and Cherrapunji are just 10 miles apart, but Mawsynram beats its competitor by a mere 4 inches of rainfall. Although it doesn't rain all day in Meghalaya, it does rain every day, Chapple told weather.com. The heavy rainfall is due to summer air currents that sweep over the steaming flood plains of Bangladesh.
Which part of the UK gets the least rainfall? The driest part of the country is certainly not in Scotland, however. For that, we need to look to eastern England. East Anglia, which incorporates the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, sees an average of just 626mm of rain per year.
This is because the mountains of the northern and western UK force the prevailing westerly winds to rise, which cools the air and consequently enhances the formation of cloud and rain in these locations (this is known as orographic enhancement).
Generally the South of England is the warmest area of the UK and has the less rain than most other regions. The conditions are affected by location even within this region however. The closer to the coast you get, the cooler the summers and warmer the winters, due to proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
Among the warmest places in the UK to live, the Scilly Isles stand out. The southernmost point of Britain, it is part of Cornwall's ceremonial county. Scilly, however, is quite different. There are over 140 islands in this remote region.
Scotland is the coldest part of the UK throughout the year, and has average minimum temperatures of just -0.2oC during the winter. It is also the wettest place every month of the year except May, June and December, and almost always the cloudiest too.
