ABSTRACT
Any account of climate in north-west England must emphasise its variety. Less than 250 km separates Cheshire from the Scottish border and half this distance lies between the Pennines and St Bees Head, where the region has its maximum east-west extent. Within these limits are both the coldest place in England (the summit of Cross Fell at 893 m above sea level (ASL)) and, at the head of Morecambe Bay, one of the areas of the country least affected by snow. The region also claims the wettest locality in England, on the fells around Seathwaite. Differences of this sort are primarily the result of topography and altitude, rather than distance from the sea. This is hardly surprising, as no English region possesses a greater range of altitudes.
