The climate and the weather of the British Isles

The British Isles which are surrounded by the ocean have an insular c_________________(1) that is moist, temperate and maritime. It is m__________________(2) than that of Central Europe. The three things chiefly determine the c__________________(3) of Great Britain. They are: the position of the island in the temperate belt; the fact that the prevailing winds blow from the west and the south-west; the warm current - the Gulf Stream that flows from the Gulf of Mexico along the western shores of England. Due to the moderating i____________________(4) of the sea and of the Gulf Stream, the July temperature is lower than in any other country of the same latitude and the January temperature is higher. That's why the British ports are ice-free and rivers in England don't freeze throughout the year.

The West of the Island, where the highlands and the mountains l_________________(5), is affected by the winds off the oceans and the Gulf Stream. The soft westerly winds bring r___________________(6) that is called «mist» so soft and warm it is. The East, where the plains l___________________(7), is mainly affected by f_____________________(8). Bitter easterly winds are said to come straight from Siberia. That's why it is c____________________(9) in the East than in the West of the British Isles.

The moods of British w_________________(10) are really surprising. It c___________________(11) with the change of the season but sometimes cold winter comes back, when spring seems already to be here, or warm fine summer days return in mid-October.

The English are famous for their u_______________________(12) weather and they are always talking about it. Everyone can notice that the weather is never the same two days running.

The best time of the year in England is the spring and early summer. Spring is the driest season. Cold dry winds blow, the skies are clean and calm, sometimes it r___________________(13). In early summer the wind sends fine sunny w__________________(14) with blue skies in which clouds build up by day and die away at night. Thunderstorms are common and the counties in the east get most rain in this season. Though it is mainly drier in the east than in the west. Great floods occur in the hills and do the worst damage to the valleys.

Needless to say that it r___________________(15) quite often all the year round. The English even say that they have only three variants of the weather: when it rains in the morning, or when it rains in the afternoon, or when it rains all day long. That's why England is such a green country.

The autumn is sometimes a time of very good weather, with clear blue skies and the sun shining every day. But the spring is still better, because after the spring comes short English summer, when people go to the s__________________(16), In the autumn even when the sun shines there is the winter to follow.

In early autumn, especially after a fine summer, the air is damp as the sun sinks lower. The temperature falls, mist and fog appear in the evening. Strong winds bring stormy w___________________(17) with heavy rains and gales.

In the winter months Britain is affected by polar air. Then there are cold dry biting winds which bring black frosts. Sometimes England has no s______________(18) at all, but the North and Scotland usually have some after Christmas. If there is a long frost and the ice is hard enough, then everyone who has skates gets them out and skates on the rivers and pools. The east cold wind blows in from the North Sea and all England shivers, especially in the East. The Welsh are luckier because Wales is in the West and it is warmer than most of England. February and March are the months with most s___________________(19), but in the Scottish Highlands it can f________________(20) as late as June.