Geography of Glasgow facts for kids
Glasgow is a big city in Scotland, located right on the banks of the River Clyde. It's a busy and exciting place with lots of history and modern life mixed together.
Contents
Glasgow's Weather
| Weather chart for Glasgow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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142
6
2
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99
7
2
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110
9
3
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60
12
4
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63
16
7
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63
18
10
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68
20
12
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84
19
12
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116
16
9
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132
13
7
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131
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138
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| temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm source: MetOffice |
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Imperial conversion
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Glasgow's weather is like typical Scottish weather. It can often be quite surprising and change quickly!
Seasons in Glasgow
The summer months, from May to September, can be lovely. You might find fine, sunny, and mild days. Winds usually come from the west. This is because of the warm Gulf Stream, which helps keep Scotland warmer than other places at the same latitude. July is usually the warmest month, often over 20 °C. But even in summer, the weather can change fast. A morning might be damp and misty, or "dreich" (a Scottish word for damp and drizzly). By the afternoon, it could be sunny and warm!
Spring, from March to May, is usually quite mild. Many people like to visit Glasgow at this time. Some days can be rainy and windy, but many of Glasgow's trees start to flower. The city's parks and gardens become full of bright spring colors.
Winters in Glasgow can feel long and damp. There are fewer sunny days. However, thanks to the Gulf Stream, it's often warmer than other countries at the same latitude. The winds can be very cold. Heavy snow doesn't happen very often and usually doesn't stay for long. December, January, and February are the wettest months. Even then, you might get some sunny, though not warm, days.
Weather Facts
| Climate data for Glasgow (Paisley 32 m asl, 1981–2010, extremes 1959–) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.5 (56.3) |
14.4 (57.9) |
17.2 (63.0) |
24.4 (75.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
29.6 (85.3) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.0 (87.8) |
26.7 (80.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
17.7 (63.9) |
14.1 (57.4) |
31.0 (87.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.9 (44.4) |
7.4 (45.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
12.6 (54.7) |
15.9 (60.6) |
18.1 (64.6) |
19.7 (67.5) |
19.2 (66.6) |
16.4 (61.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
9.4 (48.9) |
6.9 (44.4) |
12.9 (55.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) |
1.8 (35.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
4.8 (40.6) |
7.3 (45.1) |
10.1 (50.2) |
12.0 (53.6) |
11.7 (53.1) |
9.7 (49.5) |
6.7 (44.1) |
4.0 (39.2) |
1.7 (35.1) |
6.2 (43.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −14.8 (5.4) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
1.5 (34.7) |
3.9 (39.0) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−14.5 (5.9) |
−14.8 (5.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 148.2 (5.83) |
104.6 (4.12) |
112.3 (4.42) |
63.6 (2.50) |
67.5 (2.66) |
66.4 (2.61) |
73.0 (2.87) |
92.5 (3.64) |
112.5 (4.43) |
143.1 (5.63) |
126.4 (4.98) |
135.2 (5.32) |
1,245.1 (49.02) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 17.3 | 13.2 | 14.9 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 11.1 | 12.0 | 12.8 | 13.8 | 16.8 | 16.0 | 15.5 | 166.9 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 37.6 | 66.9 | 98.6 | 134.5 | 180.1 | 158.9 | 154.3 | 146.8 | 114.9 | 85.2 | 54.0 | 33.1 | 1,265 |
| Source 1: Met Office | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: KNMI/Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Abbotsinch, 5 m asl, 1981–2010, Extremes 1951– | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.5 (56.3) |
14.3 (57.7) |
18.9 (66.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
27.4 (81.3) |
29.6 (85.3) |
30.1 (86.2) |
31.2 (88.2) |
26.7 (80.1) |
23.9 (75.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
14.6 (58.3) |
31.2 (88.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) |
6.9 (44.4) |
9.0 (48.2) |
11.7 (53.1) |
15.0 (59.0) |
17.4 (63.3) |
19.2 (66.6) |
18.9 (66.0) |
16.2 (61.2) |
12.4 (54.3) |
9.1 (48.4) |
6.4 (43.5) |
12.4 (54.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) |
1.3 (34.3) |
2.5 (36.5) |
3.9 (39.0) |
6.2 (43.2) |
9.0 (48.2) |
11.1 (52.0) |
10.8 (51.4) |
9.1 (48.4) |
6.2 (43.2) |
3.6 (38.5) |
1.1 (34.0) |
5.5 (41.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.4 (0.7) |
−15 (5) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
1.2 (34.2) |
0.8 (33.4) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−7.1 (19.2) |
−10.4 (13.3) |
−19.9 (−3.8) |
−19.9 (−3.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 153.0 (6.02) |
112.3 (4.42) |
124.8 (4.91) |
67.4 (2.65) |
65.3 (2.57) |
73.4 (2.89) |
77.7 (3.06) |
100.9 (3.97) |
123.9 (4.88) |
142.6 (5.61) |
131.7 (5.19) |
145.6 (5.73) |
1,318.6 (51.9) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 18 | 13 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 174 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 44.7 | 72.0 | 103.5 | 140.1 | 189.5 | 161.7 | 169.9 | 158.5 | 117.5 | 89.1 | 57.4 | 44.2 | 1,348.1 |
| Source: MetOffice
date=July 2013 |
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Who Lives in Glasgow?
Glasgow's population has changed a lot over the years. In 1931, the city had its largest population ever, with 1,088,000 people. For over 40 years, more than a million people lived there.
How Glasgow's Population Changed
In the 1960s, the number of people living in Glasgow started to go down. This happened partly because many people moved to new towns. These new towns were built to help clear out crowded areas of the city. Also, the official city boundaries changed several times. This made it harder to compare the population numbers directly.
By 2001, Glasgow's population was around 579,869 people. This was a big drop from its peak.
Glasgow's Population Today
Since the 2001 census, the population has become more stable. In 2004, about 585,090 people lived in the city council area. Experts think that the population of Glasgow will grow in the future.
If you look at the wider area around Glasgow, called the Greater Glasgow conurbation, about 2,300,000 people live there. This includes Glasgow city and the towns nearby.
Compared to Inner London, Glasgow has fewer people living per square mile. In 1931, Glasgow was one of Europe's most crowded cities. But then, many people moved to the suburbs and new towns. This helped to spread out the population.
