UK wind exposure by region and flat roof wind uplift
Updated 23 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial
How exposed is each part of the UK to wind?
Exposure rises towards the north and west, towards the coast and with height. The Met Office says the windiest parts of the UK are the north and west because the prevailing west to south-westerly winds make those areas typically more exposed than the south and east. Hills, mountains and coasts are windier than low-lying inland sites, and wind speed increases with height away from the friction of the earth’s surface.
The table gives the Met Office’s 1991 to 2020 mean wind speed at 10 metres for two stations in each English region, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, one exposed and one sheltered where the station list allows. They are station averages, not regional averages, and not design values.
| Region | Met Office station | Mean wind speed (knots) |
|---|---|---|
| North East | Boulmer | 9.80 |
| North West | Blackpool Squires Gate | 10.73 |
| North West | Woodford | 7.57 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | Fylingdales | 11.18 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | Sheffield | 6.89 |
| East Midlands | Waddington | 9.20 |
| East Midlands | Sutton Bonington | 6.78 |
| West Midlands | Shawbury | 8.13 |
| West Midlands | Ross-on-Wye | 5.65 |
| East of England | Walton-on-the-Naze | 10.46 |
| East of England | Rothamsted | 4.74 |
| London | Kew Gardens | 5.30 |
| South East | Manston | 9.86 |
| South West | Camborne | 10.53 |
| South West | Yeovilton | 7.57 |
| Wales | Mumbles Head | 13.31 |
| Wales | Hawarden Airport | 7.07 |
| Scotland | Lerwick | 14.73 |
| Scotland | Paisley | 5.73 |
| Northern Ireland | Ballypatrick Forest | 8.69 |
| Northern Ireland | Katesbridge | 6.03 |
Exposure varies inside a region as well as between them. Lerwick averages 14.73 knots against 5.30 at Kew Gardens, but Blackpool Squires Gate (10.73) and Woodford (7.57) are both in the North West. The upland Great Dun Fell No 2 station averages 22.93 knots, a reminder of how much height adds, although a roof is nowhere near that level.
The Met Office also ranks counties on 1981 to 2010 annual averages: Shetland (14.6 knots), Orkney (14.3), the Western Isles (12.6), Argyll and Bute (12.1), Gwynedd (11.3) and Tweeddale (11.0) head the list, and the Isle of Wight (10.7) is the only English county in the top ten. That matches the table: island, coastal and Scottish sites sit at the high end.
How strong have gusts been in each region?
Extreme gusts show how far a single storm can go. The Met Office records the highest gusts at low-level sites by district, using data from 1969 and excluding stations above 500 metres. The highest gust from a high-level site is 150 knots (173 mph) at Cairngorm Summit in March 1986.
| Area (Met Office district) | Highest gust recorded | Where and when |
|---|---|---|
| North West England | 88 knots (101 mph) | Sellafield, Cumbria, January 1984 |
| North East England (Met Office district: England E & NE) | 93 knots (107 mph) | Lynemouth, Northumberland, December 1979 |
| East of England (district: East Anglia) | 87 knots (100 mph) | Shoeburyness, Essex, October 1987 |
| South East (district: SE and central southern England) | 106 knots (122 mph) | Needles Old Battery, Isle of Wight, February 2022 |
| South West England | 103 knots (118 mph) | Gwennap Head, Cornwall, December 1979 |
| Midlands (district) | 99 knots (114 mph) | High Bradfield, South Yorkshire, January 1984 |
| Wales, north | 97 knots (112 mph) | Aberdaron, Gwynedd, December 1997 |
| Wales, south | 108 knots (124 mph) | Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, October 1989 |
| Scotland, east | 123 knots (142 mph) | Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, February 1989 |
| Scotland, north | 118 knots (136 mph) | Kirkwall, Orkney, February 1969 |
| Scotland, west | 95 knots (109 mph) | Salsburgh, Lanarkshire, December 1998 |
| Northern Ireland | 108 knots (124 mph) | Kilkeel, County Down, January 1974 |
Records are not design values. They show that every district, including the east of England, has seen gusts around 87 knots or more at a low-level site, so a sheltered region is not a reason to skip the calculation.
How is wind uplift on a flat roof calculated?
By calculation for the specific roof, not by reading a map. Building regulations in all four nations expect wind to be allowed for: Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 says regard shall be had to the wind loads a building is likely to be subjected to, Northern Ireland’s regulation 30 requires dead, imposed and wind loads to be sustained, and Scotland’s technical handbook says loadings should be calculated in accordance with the Structural Eurocodes, which include BS EN 1991-1-4.
BSI describes the standard as guidance on determining natural wind actions for structural design, including “components, cladding units and their fixings”. The UK National Annex sets the UK’s choices for the nationally determined parameters, and BSI indexes it under velocity, dynamic pressure, topography and roofs. The Single Ply Roofing Association (SPRA) says wind loading software should comply with BS EN 1991-1-4:2005+A1:2010, supplemented with the UK National Annex incorporating Amendment A1 of January 2011, and that competence is needed to get consistent, accurate results.
One date matters. BSI says UK adoptions of the first generation of Eurocodes will be withdrawn on 30 March 2028 and that, until then, the first-generation documents should be treated as the applicable standards unless the relevant authority or the specification says otherwise. BSI Knowledge also lists a BS EN 1991-1-4:2026, dated 31 March 2026, so ask the designer which edition and National Annex the calculation uses.
Why do coastal, upland and Scottish sites need more from the roof?
BSI’s index terms for the National Annex (velocity, dynamic pressure, pressure) point to the chain: a higher wind velocity feeds a higher dynamic pressure, so a more exposed site starts from a higher load and every part of the roof inherits it. The Met Office figures show where that start point is high: coasts, hills and the north and west. How much extra restraint a given membrane, insulation and fastener system needs at the perimeter and corners is a result of the calculation and the manufacturer’s tested system, not a regional rule of thumb. The attachment methods guide compares mechanically fastened, adhered and ballasted systems.
What should a wind uplift calculation in a specification show?
- The standard. Which edition of BS EN 1991-1-4 and which National Annex were used.
- The site. Location, building height and surroundings, including coast and hills.
- The roof. Its geometry and edge details as designed, not assumed.
- The result. Pressures for each area of the roof, and the attachment layout chosen to resist them.
- The author. Who prepared the calculation and how their competence is evidenced.
SPRA publishes a wind loading checklist (S11a, listed on its technical page) and a protocol for calculations (S11b/19, referred to on its training page). Ask whether the supplier or designer has worked to them. For the regional picture on the other main weather input, see the rainfall guide.
Does wind affect the works as well as the finished roof?
Yes. The NFRC’s guidance note Roofing and Cladding in Windy Conditions (8 November 2024) gives guidance on wind speeds and conditions when working may not be practicable or possible. In law, employers must ensure work at height is carried out only when the weather conditions do not jeopardise safety, a duty in the Work at Height Regulations 2005 for England, Wales and Scotland. On an exposed site, programme float and a plan to secure loose materials belong in the method statement. Anyone weighing up contractors for an exposed site can send an enquiry through the site’s form, and the locations hub shows the regions covered.
Sources
- Met Office, UK climate averages (location-specific long-term averages), 1991-2020 tables for the stations in the table: Boulmer, Blackpool Squires Gate, Woodford, Fylingdales, Sheffield, Waddington, Sutton Bonington, Shawbury, Ross-on-Wye, Walton-on-the-Naze, Rothamsted, Kew Gardens, Manston, Camborne, Yeovilton, Mumbles Head, Hawarden Airport, Lerwick, Paisley, Ballypatrick Forest, Katesbridge, Great Dun Fell No 2, checked 22 October 2026
- Met Office: Where are the windiest parts of the UK? and UK climate extremes, checked 22 October 2026
- BSI Knowledge: NA to BS EN 1991-1-4:2005+A1:2010 and BS EN 1991-1-4:2026, checked 22 October 2026
- SPRA: Wind loading protocol for calculations sessions and Technical; NFRC: Roofing and Cladding in Windy Conditions, checked 22 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Building Regulations 2010, Schedule 1, Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, regulation 30 and Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 4; gov.scot technical handbook 2022, section 1.1 and Annex 1, checked 22 October 2026
Common questions
Can I size roof fixings from the Met Office wind data?
No. The Met Office figures are mean wind speeds and recorded gusts at stations. Design loads come from a calculation under BS EN 1991-1-4 and the UK National Annex for the specific roof, which is what the manufacturer or designer should show.
Which low-level site has the highest recorded gust in the UK?
The Met Office lists Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire at 123 knots (142 mph) on 13 February 1989 as the highest at a low-level site. The highest anywhere is 150 knots (173 mph) at Cairngorm Summit, a high-level site, on 20 March 1986.
Is the wind standard about to change?
BSI says UK adoptions of the first-generation Eurocodes will be withdrawn on 30 March 2028 and are the applicable standards until then unless the specification says otherwise. A 2026 edition of BS EN 1991-1-4 is listed, so ask which edition the calculation uses.
Who should carry out a wind load calculation?
Someone competent. SPRA says competence is necessary to achieve consistent, accurate results, and its calculation course expects experience, trained use of software and suitable indemnity against error. Ask the supplier to name the author.