Climate
Along with the rest of South West England, Exmoor has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The mean annual temperature at Simonsbath is 8.3 °C (46.9 °F) with a seasonal and diurnal variation, but due to the modifying effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the UK. January is the coldest month, with mean minimum temperatures between 1 and 2 °C (34 and 36 °F). July and August are the warmest months in the region, with mean daily maxima around 21 °C (70 °F). In general, December is the month with the least sunshine and June the month with the most sun. The south west of England has a favoured location with regard to the Azores high pressure when it extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK, particularly in summer.
Cloud often forms inland, especially near hills, and reduce the amount of sunshine that reaches the park. The average annual sunshine is about 1,600 hours. Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. In summer, convection, caused by the sun heating the land surface more than the sea, sometimes forms rain clouds and at that time of year a large proportion of the rainfall comes from showers and thunderstorms. Annual precipitation varies from 800 mm (31 in) in the east of the park to over 2,000 mm (79 in) at The Chains. However in the 24-hours of 16 August 1952, more than 225 mm (8.9 in) of rain fell at The Chains. This rainfall, which followed an exceptionally wet summer led to disastrous flooding in Lynmouth with 34 dead and extensive damage to the small town.
Snowfall is very variable from year to year and ranges from 23 days on the high moors to about 6 on coastal areas. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest winds. The wind comes mostly from the south west.
There are two Met Office Weather stations recording climate data within Exmoor; Liscombe and Nettlecombe.
| Climate data for Nettlecombe 96 m asl, 1971-2000 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 7.9 (46.2) |
8.0 (46.4) |
10.2 (50.4) |
12.2 (54.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
18.3 (64.9) |
20.7 (69.3) |
20.5 (68.9) |
17.8 (64.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
10.8 (51.4) |
8.8 (47.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) |
1.8 (35.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
3.6 (38.5) |
6.2 (43.2) |
8.8 (47.8) |
10.9 (51.6) |
10.8 (51.4) |
9.0 (48.2) |
6.7 (44.1) |
4.1 (39.4) |
2.9 (37.2) |
5.8 (42.4) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 123.6 (4.866) |
87.6 (3.449) |
80.6 (3.173) |
66.3 (2.61) |
62.6 (2.465) |
58.7 (2.311) |
43.4 (1.709) |
66.5 (2.618) |
85.4 (3.362) |
108.6 (4.276) |
106.6 (4.197) |
128.7 (5.067) |
1,018.6 (40.102) |
| Source: MetOffice | |||||||||||||
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