Glasgow Weather

The Typical Glasgow Weather

Previously in this blog, I have discussed stereotypes like the Glasgow accent, the Glasgow female dress code, Glasgow Food and Drink, and random facts about the Glaswegian - so now I feel that it is time to address the obvious topic: Weather.

If you tell someone you are studying in Scotland, they will either ask about the accent or the weather. At least in my experience. I have lived in many countries and come to experience many different climates, but to an experienced foreigner like myself, Scotland is something else. For instance, I lived in Canada for three years where you have really hot summers (35°C/95°F) and really cold and long winters (-25°C/-13°F). And of course it rains like everywhere.... But never have I ever experienced not only this much rain, but this much grey.

I took this photo before writing this post, in case you were curious what the typical Weather in Glasgow was like today - same as every day ;)

I know you're probably thinking "Why are you surprised, its Scotland" and I am not complaining - I knew what I was getting myself into - but the type of rain and temperatures here are just so different! I used to like rain back at home, which is why I thought I wouldn't mind moving here. And I mean I come here to study so naturally I thought the weather would not be a big deal and more of a motivation to actually study and do your reading... boy was I wrong. You get so used to the weather that it no longer is a motivation to study but rather depresses you even more.

And it doesn't stop there - the weather is constantly changing throughout the day - I like to say the weather is bipolar - and what I mean by that is you wake up and its pouring rain ("pissing" in Scottish) and cold so you go out in your sweater and rain jacket; and 10 minutes later its all sunshine and you're sweating.

That being said, there is no correct way to dress for this climate. The other day, I was checking the weather report and it said its 1°C/33°F so naturally, I put on my winter coat. I go outside and regret not putting on another sweater, but 5 minutes later I am sweating and was sweating the rest of the day. And no, it did not get warmer!

The only advice in terms of the weather I can give is dress in layers that you can easily dismantle. I have come to accept that when I leave the flat, I am cold and regret not putting on another sweater, but 10 minutes later I am sweating and will for the rest of the day.
I feel that it is necessary to point these maybe not so obvious things out, because it is a lot more than just a lot rain you have to put up with... but you get pretty pink sunsets, so there is that.