By Will Noble, CNN
(CNN) — Britain is far from the wettest place on Earth, but its reputation as a gray landscape populated by perma-sodden umbrella-clutchers is so longstanding, it’s seeped into the national identity.
“It’s raining cats and dogs” was a phrase muttered by Brits as far back as the 17th century, when torrential showers dislodged animal corpses from the rudimentary drainage systems, washing them down the streets.
It was still being muttered earlier this year, when the UK endured a particularly soggy start to 2026.
When it comes to annual average precipitation however, it ranks just 83rd in the world, behind the likes of Colombia, the Maldives, Jamaica and New Zealand, but more than the United States.
However, while other countries battle extremes of downpours and drought, in Britain the rain hits different.
“The Atlantic Ocean, providing lots of moisture, has a huge influence on our weather,” explains Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society. Britain’s also slap-bang in the path of a jet stream, a band of fast-moving winds “that develops weather systems of cloud and rain, and steers them towards our shores.”
In short, it might rain any time, any place, and perhaps it is this unpredictability — the sense of rain always lurking around the corner — that has caused it to saturate the national consciousness: from painter J.M.W. Turner’s invigoratingly kinetic “Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway” (worth visiting in London’s National Gallery on any given drizzly afternoon), to Travis’ pop anthem, “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?”, a song that neatly sums up the eye-rolling lot of the Brit.
Dressing for the elements
Of all the vignettes of Britain in the rain, however, perhaps it is that of the umbrella — hurriedly opened as showers break over the Wimbledon tennis championships each July, and used as an aerial conveyance by Mary Poppins — that endures.
Fox Umbrellas, based in Croydon, South London, has been crafting umbrellas since 1868, currently producing 20,000 to 25,000 a year — some of which you’ve likely seen on screen in shows such as “Outlander,” “The Crown” or “Peaky Blinders.”
“Many people view our island as somewhere that gets a lot of rain,” says Fox Umbrellas’ managing Director Paul Garrett, “and I guess we can’t argue that — so we are experts in staying dry.”
Many view the umbrella as a “quintessentially British item,” he says. In Victorian times, a gentleman wasn’t properly dressed if he wasn’t wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella, he adds, although today more casual dress has taken over.
Events such as Royal Ascot, the annual week of horse racing that is a highlight of the upper-class social calendar each June, is a chance to see “well-dressed individuals, with many carrying an umbrella in case of inclement weather,” says Garrett. There is still a need for an umbrella in the modern world.”
Overseas visitors often wish to buy into this culture. “We get many tourists who value the importance of functionality and elegance of an umbrella to go with their attire,” says Garrett. “We do get visitors from other countries that specifically come to see us to order a bespoke umbrella and can spend a lot of time choosing each detail.”
Not only have the Brits woven their tenaciously wet weather into cultural emblems, these are often industries in their own right; look at Burberry, the luxury fashion house with Victorian roots, whose rain-shielding trench coats remain a highlight of London Fashion Week.
And if you need more proof, look to Scotland, where they’ve long perfected another way of dealing with an abundance of rainwater. If you can’t beat it, drink it.
The Isle of Rasaay distillery, situated on a small island off the northwest coast of Scotland, is one of over 150 whisky distilleries in the country. Rainwater and its journey is vital to the character of each single malt Scotch whisky; in the case of Rasaay’s it collects on Dùn Cana — a basalt outcrop of volcanic rock — and over the course of hundreds and thousands of years, runs across the rocks, gradually collecting minerals, before ending up in the permeable Jurassic sandstone below the distillery, from which it’s drawn up via a well.
“The character of the water from our well has a big impact on the flavour and style of our Isle of Raasay Hebridean single malt,” says Alasdair Day, Isle of Rasaay co-founder and master distiller. “It is the minerality and the fact that our water is slightly hard that are the biggest influence on our new make spirit and how it matures into our single malt whisky.”
Rainwater is imperative to every stage of the whisky’s creation. “We use this mineral-rich water from the well for everything in the distillery: for mashing, fermentation, cooling and, very importantly, cask reduction and for reduction to bottling strength,” says Day.
While Fox Umbrellas enjoys a major export market in Japan, 30% of Rasaay whisky bottles wind up in one of over 50 markets overseas. Without the rain, none of this would be possible. You begin to see why it’s more blessing than curse.
And while many millions have Britain’s rain-related products shipped to them, others venture to Britain to enjoy its less-than-perfect weather in the flesh.
Fingers crossed for rain
In 2015, the Guardian newspaper published a tongue-in-cheek piece outlining “20 signs you’re on a British holiday.” “1) It’s starting to rain,” trolls the article, “2) It’s raining”, “3) It’s still raining”. And so on. “…WISH YOU WERE HERE…!” runs the strapline of a typical seaside postcard, picturing a red-nose family sodden with water from sea and sky.
At first blush, a rainy UK vacation looks like little more than a punchline. Yet plenty would argue otherwise.
“Rainy weather doesn’t limit the British experience,” explains Carl Walsh, senior vice president, USA at VisitBritain. “It simply reveals a different side of the country, from our moody coastlines to our lively cities, and Britain continues to offer remarkable moments even on the rainiest days.”
Indeed, argues Walsh, sometimes a good downpour can enhance the experience.
“At the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail in the Yorkshire Dales you really see how the weather shapes the landscape,” says Walsh. “After rain, the waterfalls are at their most powerful and the whole route feels more alive, which is part of what makes the area so compelling to visit.
Gaping Gill, an occasionally accessible cathedral-sized cave created by tumbling water in the same region, is another example,” he says. “The underground waterfall is impressive in any condition, but rainfall above ground can make the descent even more dramatic. It’s a rare experience that shows how Britain’s natural sights can be just as remarkable on a wet day.”
Sketchy weather works its alluring magic up in Rasaay too, as Alasdair Day explains: “We do have visitors who tell us that they enjoy coming to Scotland for the weather… I think we have some of the best views of Skye from our distillery on Raasay and that view changes every five minutes as a result of the weather, the clouds, mist and the rain. It does make Scotland a special place.”
Fodor’s would agree with Walsh and Day; in 2022 it named 12 places in the United Kingdom that are “better when it’s raining.”
Warmer and wetter
The exceptionally wet start to 2026 in the United Kingdom — with Northern Ireland experiencing its wettest January in 149 years — is a barometer reading of things to come.
“We are already experiencing warmer, wetter winters in the UK as our climate changes,” says Liz Bentley from the Royal Meteorological Society. “Climate change is also increasing the risk of heavier rainfall because warmer air holds more moisture, so when it rains it tends to be heavier.”
For a country so often viewed through a rain-spattered window, Britain is alarmingly under-prepared for the barrage of extreme weather brooding on its horizon. Flooding, power cuts, transport disruption — even fatalities — will surely escalate. The country will have to dig deep and come up with other ways to embrace and harness the downpours.
However much the Brits (and their many visitors) might quietly adore the rain, you can have too much of a good thing. Long may it rain in Britain. All the same, you never want it to rain for too long.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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