The Radcliffe Observatory possesses the longest continuous series of single-site weather records in the British Isles, and one of the longest in the world. The book comprises weather commentaries by month and season, a chronology of notable weather events in Oxford since the 17th Century, an analysis of climate change in Oxford over two centuries.

Part 1: Oxford's weather and climate 1: Oxford: Its regional, economic and climate setting 2: Weather observation in Oxford 3: Oxford's urban growth and its potential impact on the local climate 4: Oxford weather in its regional context 5: Long-period weather observations elsewhere in the British Isles and Europe Part 2: Oxford weather through the year 6: The annual cycle 7: January 8: February 9: March 10: April 11: May 12: June 13: July 14: August 15: September 16: October 17: November 18: December 19: The calendar year Part 3: Oxford weather through the seasons 20: Winter 21: Spring 22: Summer 23: Autumn Part 4: Long-term climate change in Oxford 24: Climate change in Oxford Part 5: Chronology of noteworthy weather events in and around Oxford 25: Chronology Part 6: Oxford weather averages and extremes 26: Warmest, driest, sunniest... 27: Earliest and latest dates 28: Droughts and wet spells 29: Oxford's 'top ten' extremes 30: Notable heatwaves and cold spells, sunny and dull periods, in Oxford since 1815 Appendices 1: Metadata: Meteorological observations at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford 1776 to date 2: The Radcliffe Observers 3: Climatological averages and extremes for Oxford, since records began 4: Climatological averages and extremes for Oxford, since records began 5: Monthly rainfall totals for Oxford 1767-1814 6: Monthly and annual summaries of Oxford's weather by year, 1813-2018

Brings together a unique 250 year long weather record for the first time Provides an illuminating analysis on the best and worst of English weather Places today's weather in a rich historical and local context, drawing out nuanced analysis Includes easy-to-find listings of extreme weather - the hottest, coldest, wettest, and sunniest periods

Stephen Burt retired from the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading in 2018. His career began in the Met Office in 1977, since when he has published widely on many and varied aspects of British climatology, including case studies of notable weather events such as the 'Great Storm' of October 1987, heatwaves, snowstorms and extreme rainfall events. He holds an MSc in Applied Meteorology and is a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, Chairman of the Climatological Observers Link and a member of the American Meteorological Society and the Scientific Instruments Society. He is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Reading. Tim Burt retired in 2017, after 21 years as Master of Hatfield College and Professor of Geography at Durham University. Before that, he was Lecturer in Physical Geography at Oxford University and a Fellow of Keble College (1984-96) and Director of the Radcliffe Meteorological Station 1986-96. Tim has run the Durham Observatory weather station since 2000. He has published widely on the Oxford and Durham records as well as in other areas of physical geography. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and of the British Society for Geomorphology. He was awarded the Cuthbert Peek Award of the Royal Geographical Society in 1994 and the Linton Award of the British Society for Geomorphology in 2017. He is now an Emeritus Professor at Durham University, a Visiting Professor at Bristol University and a Collaborating Research Scholar at Keble College, Oxford. An undergraduate at Cambridge, Tim has an MA from Carleton University, Ottawa, and PhD and DSc from Bristol.

Brings together a unique 250 year long weather record for the first time Provides an illuminating analysis on the best and worst of English weather Places today's weather in a rich historical and local context, drawing out nuanced analysis Includes easy-to-find listings of extreme weather - the hottest, coldest, wettest, and sunniest periods