Climate

A unique local micro climate

Totton & Eling is extremely fortunate, being situated in the Hampshire Basin, in having an exceptionally favourable micro climate, which compared with most areas of the UK has good sunshine figures, low rainfall, very good average temperatures throughout the year and one of the lowest levels of snowfall anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Locals will have noticed that in Totton it has been many years since there was sufficient snow to make a snowman. This unique situation arises in the winter from the warmth of Southampton Water permeating the Town, together with the town being surrounded in all directions by hills, including the Isle of Wight, the New Forest and Salisbury Plain. There is a warming and drying effect as the air passes over the hills and down into the Hampshire basin, known as the Fohn effect.

If the town does get a north wind in winter the cold air will have travelled over 400 miles of land and lost most of its moisture.

In Totton the old adage ‘The north wind doth blow and we shall have snow’ does not apply.