The Climate

The climate is cool temperate with the changeability associated with an island. The prevailing winds are generally west and south westerly, with colder extremes occasionally brought in by easterly winds. The climate is, therefore, a mild one without great extremes and also without long periods of consistency. The greatest rainfall is during autumn and spring; the average annual rainfall for this part of Dorset is around 1000 mm.

The coldest periods normally occur in January and February when heavy frosts and icy conditions are not uncommon for short periods. Snow is not unusual, but it rarely settles or lasts for longer than a day or two. When it does, however, it causes disproportionate disruption, and entertainment for village children. In most winters temperatures rarely fall below -5º C and are usually above freezing during the day time. Summer temperatures average around 18º C but do rise as high as 28º C or so, at times. In terms of local variation, Broadmayne does not experience the somewhat milder micro-climates enjoyed by places like Weymouth or Abbotsbury, only a few miles away, but located on the coast and lying to the south of the self-same ripple of hills mentioned earlier. Broadmayne, however, does not attract any extremes of weather.