The first named storm of the autumn, Storm Agnes, is expected to hit the UK and Ireland on Wednesday, and in that vein, new research has revealed the top 10 greyest cities in the UK, with the least hours of sunshine a year. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Manchester topped the list, and is officially the greyest city in the UK… with the most vibrant people, of course.
The research, carried out by Utility Bidder, has revealed the areas of the UK which experience the most and least rainfall and sunshine. Manchester takes the top spot for lack of sunshine (much to the despair of Liam Gallagher, who loves a bit of sunshiiiiine), averaging just 1,265 hours of sunshine annually, which means that the sun shines for less than 15% of the year.
To make matters worse for its residents, Manchester has the second-highest number of rainfall days in the UK, in addition to being the greyest city, so if you do live in Manchester and want to get out and see the sun, then your best opportunity to do so is May, when the sun shines for 170 hours of the month.
The UK area with the overall worst weather is a crown shared between two Northern cities, one of which is our Lancashire neighbour Burnley, with a weather score of 0.20 out of 10. Between 1991 and 2020, Burnley averaged more rainfall and more days of rainfall than any other UK area, and to make matters worse for those living in Burnley, just three areas of the UK have less sunshine hours each year.
Sharing the top spot with Burnley is Manchester once again, also with a weather score of 0.20 out of 10, proving that ‘grim up north’ is truly just a mindset. We make the absolute most of the good weather with walks, rooftop bars and festivals, and equally enjoy ourselves on the greyest of days with all the indoor entertainment you could ask for – although, we aren’t afraid of a bit of rain, and of course, there’s always somewhere to get cosy and dry.
As you might expect, the UK areas with the most sunshine each year are Hastings, Eastbourne and Southend-on-Sea, holding down the fort for British seaside destinations – but then again, they don’t have that Manchester charm that comes with all the grey.