The largest independent climate event in Europe
21-29 June 2025 Key themes for 2025:
Net zero and resilience: Accelerating the transition to a net zero London and UK, with a focus on building resilience to climate impacts, especially for vulnerable communities. Global leadership: Shaping international climate diplomacy and supporting the path to COP summits, with London as a hub for global climate policy and innovation. Inclusive transition: Ensuring the climate transition is just and inclusive, engaging London’s diverse communities and addressing social equity. Innovation and finance: Showcasing solutions in clean technology, green finance, and sustainable business strategies, with events like the flagship Climate Innovation Forum drawing global leaders and innovators. Community engagement: Empowering local action through education, arts, sports, and grassroots initiatives, connecting the climate agenda to the daily lives of Londoners. Find out about the London Climate Week events taking place across the capital here
Have a look at the clouds captured on Cloud Appreciation Day 2024!
2024 Memory Cloud Atlas The next Cloud Appreciation Day will be on Friday 12 September 2025 
Linnean Society Podcast
For an informative introduction to the life of Luke Howard listen to the Linnean Society podcast with Richard Hamblyn. Recorded for the 250 anniversary of Luke Howard's birth. The Namer of Clouds Met Office daily weather reports now available online! Do you want to know what the weather was like on the day you were born or what the weather was like on any other important date from 1860? Daily weather report Haringey articles about Luke Howard Chasing Clouds: celebrating the pioneering meteorologist, Luke Howard, on the 250th anniversary of his birth.
Haringey Community Press November 2022 p13 The Namer of Clouds looking back at the life and legacy of Luke Howard. Haringey People Spring 23 p10 |
Commemorating the 250 anniversary of the birth of Luke Howard 1772 - 2022 The 250th anniversary generated an enthusiasm for a year of celebrations to honour Luke Howard, Namer of Clouds, and to understand more about the observations and measurements taken by him which are still important to Urban Climate scientists today.
Luke Howard 250 anniversary events
Luke Howard's Legacy 2023 An afternoon of activities celebrating his work and exploring what his achievements mean today here Cloud Appreciation Day 2023 The Luke Howard exhibition, an exploration of the 2023 Memory Cloud Atlas, talks, drawing workshop and lots of fun activities for children here. London Urban Climate walks led by urban climate architect, Julie Futcher. Report on the walks here Met Office Helen Roberts, Socio-Meteorologist from the Weather and Climate Extremes and Impacts Team welcomed us to the Met Office for a bespoke Tottenham Clouds tour. Report of the visit and learn about the work of the Met Office here Science Museum Alexandra Rose, Curator of Earth Sciences and Astronomy, welcomed us to the Science Museum and took us to the Library to see Luke Howard books. There were also documents, papers and certificates covering many of his interests. We also visited the 'Making the Modern World' gallery to see his barograph clock. Report of the visit here Luke Howard’s Climate of London: The Work of an Observational Genius Professor Gerald Mills, urban climatologist, University College Dublin, talk held at Bruce Castle Museum Link to presentation here Visit to Quaker Burial Ground at Winchmore Hill and the laying of a wreath at the grave of Luke Howard on the anniversary of his death - 21 March 1864. Report of the visit here |
Luke Howard: Father of Urban Climate Science
The genius of Luke Howard’s cloud classification scheme is that it provides a visual description of cloud types that are universally recognisable and linked to underlying atmospheric process. The same intellect is evident in the pages of Climate of London where Howard’s rigorous approach to measurement and analysis revealed the Urban Heat Island phenomenon and its causes.
For this reason, Luke Howard is recognised by the International Association for Urban Climates (IAUC) as the father of urban climate science.
Read the full anniversary message from the IAUC here
The genius of Luke Howard’s cloud classification scheme is that it provides a visual description of cloud types that are universally recognisable and linked to underlying atmospheric process. The same intellect is evident in the pages of Climate of London where Howard’s rigorous approach to measurement and analysis revealed the Urban Heat Island phenomenon and its causes.
For this reason, Luke Howard is recognised by the International Association for Urban Climates (IAUC) as the father of urban climate science.
Read the full anniversary message from the IAUC here
Discover Luke Howard's links to Goethe, Tottenham and the naming of clouds
