Isle of Wight Weather

When the BBC weather man says

When the BBC weather man says "Rain showers in the south of England" or "Showers along the south coast", should you expect the Isle of Wight to be included? It is in the south of England after all, just off the south coast.

But what the weather man doesn't have time to explain is that most Islands have a separate micro-climate that can be very different from the nearby land mass. Isle of Wight weather is no exception.

The Island regularly ranks as one of the sunniest places in England. This is because on many occasions the cloud and rain that visits the mainland, which is just a mile or so across the Solent, never reaches the Island.

If you walk on Tennyson Down you will be treated to 360 degree views taking in much of the Island as well as the English Channel, Studland, Dorset, Bournemouth, the New Forest, Southampton and Portsmouth. But particularly in the summer, while the Island basks in the sunshine, the New Forest and Hampshire can be getting the weatherman's "Rain showers in the south of England".

Regular summer walkers recognise this as a frequent occurrence on summer afternoons. As can be seen in the photo above taken from the Downs looking towards the New Forest.

This can be a disadvantage when the Island needs some rain and gets none while just across the water the mainland has summer showers topping up the reservoirs and water butts. But for visitors looking for sunshine it's a positive advantage.
So the next time you see the weather forecast on the TV and they talk about heavy, scattered showers across the south of England remember, they don't necessarily mean the Isle of Wight.

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