Editing Luton (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Lutonsnowoct08.JPG|thumb|Snow accumulation over the [[Chiltern Hills]] during [[October 2008 United Kingdom cold wave|October 2008]] snowfall, Luton is denoted by the yellow dot.|300x300px]]The town is situated in a gap at the far east of the [[Chiltern Hills]] and is built on the [[River Lea]],<ref>https://www.luton.gov.uk/Environment/Lists/LutonDocuments/PDF/Local%20Plan/Natural%20and%20historic%20environment/ENV%20013.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=May 2025}}</ref> which Luton is named after. The town is the most populous settlement in [[Bedfordshire]] followed by [[Bedford]].<ref>{{cite web |date=14 March 2021 |title=A HISTORY OF LUTON |url=https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-luton/ |access-date=11 October 2021 |website=Local Histories}}</ref> Luton forms a [[Luton/Dunstable urban area|conurbation]] with the town of [[Dunstable]], which is located to the west on the opposite side of the [[M1 motorway]], and also includes [[Houghton Regis]].

Luton is situated {{convert|32|mi|km|-1}} north-west of [[London]],<ref name="ELR2">{{cite web |title=SPC: St Pancras to Chesterfield Line {{!}} SPC1: St Pancras to Bedford |url=http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/elrs/_mileages/s/spc1.shtm |website=Railway Codes |series=Engineers Line Reference}}</ref> {{convert|10|mi|km|-1}} north-west of [[St Albans]], {{convert|10|mi|km|-1}} west of [[Stevenage]], {{convert|18|mi}} north-east of [[Aylesbury]], {{convert|20|mi}} south of [[Bedford]],<ref name="ELR2" /> {{convert|23|mi}} south-east of [[Milton Keynes]] and 39 miles south-west of [[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]].[[File:WardownLake.jpg|thumb|right|A pedestrian [[suspension bridge]] spans the [[River Lee (England)|River Lea]] in [[Wardown Park]].]]The source of the [[River Lee (England)|River Lea]], part of the [[Thames Valley]] [[drainage basin]], is in the [[Leagrave]] area of the town. The [[Bramingham#Bramingham Wood|Great Bramingham Wood]] surrounds this area. It is classified as [[ancient woodland]]; records mention the wood at least 400 years ago.

Luton is located in a break in the eastern part of the [[Chiltern Hills]]. The Chilterns are a mixture of [[chalk]] from the [[Cretaceous]] period<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bedsrigs.org.uk/map.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129014606/http://www.bedsrigs.org.uk/map.html|url-status=dead|title=Map of soil distribution in Beds|archive-date=29 January 2007|access-date=29 January 2022}}</ref> (about 66 – 145&nbsp;million years ago) and deposits laid at the southernmost points of the [[ice sheet]] during the [[Last glacial period|last ice age]] (the [[Warden Hill, Bedfordshire|Warden Hill]] area can be seen from much of the town).

Bedfordshire had a reputation for brick making but the industry is now significantly reduced. The [[brickworks]]<ref>{{Cite book|isbn = 1-871199-94-8|title = Stopsley Picture Book|last1 = Dyer|first1 = James|year = 1999| publisher=Book Castle }}</ref> at [[Stopsley]] took advantage of the clay deposits in the east of the town.

There are few routes through the hilly area for some miles, this has led to several major roads (including the [[M1 motorway|M1]] and the [[A6 road (England)|A6]]) and a major rail-link being constructed through the town.

===Climate===
Luton has a [[temperateness|temperate]] [[Oceanic climate|marine climate]], like much of the [[British Isles]], with generally light [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] throughout the year. The weather is very changeable from day to day and the warming influence of the [[Gulf Stream]] makes the region mild for its [[latitude]]. The average total annual rainfall is {{convert|698|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} with rain falling on 117 days of the year.

The local climate around Luton is differentiated somewhat from much of South East England due to its position in the [[Chiltern Hills]], meaning it tends to be 1–2 degrees Celsius cooler than the surrounding towns – often flights at [[London Luton Airport|Luton airport]], lying {{convert|160|m|0|abbr=on}} above sea level, will be suspended when marginal snow events occur, while airports at lower elevations, such as [[London Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]], at {{convert|25|m|0|abbr=on}} above sea level, continue to function. Absolute temperature extremes recorded at Rothamsted Research Station, {{convert|5|mi|0}} south south east of Luton town centre and at a similar elevation range from {{convert|-17.0|C|F}}<ref>{{cite web | publisher = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]] | url= http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/monitordetail.php?seasonid=18&year=1981&indexid=TNn&stationid=1844 | title = Anomaly details for station Rothamsted, UK and index TXx: Maximum value of daily maximum temperature}}</ref> in December 1981 and {{convert|-16.7|C|F}} in January 1963<ref>{{cite web | publisher = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]] | url= http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/monitordetail.php?seasonid=7&year=1963&indexid=TNn&stationid=1844 | title = Anomaly details for station Rothamsted, UK and index TXx: Maximum value of daily maximum temperature}}</ref> to {{convert|36.6|C|F}} in July 2019<ref>{{cite web | publisher = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]] | url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/weather/learn-about/uk-past-events/interesting/1990/hot-spell-august-1990---met-office.pdf | title = Hot Spell – Aug 1990 Statistics}}</ref> and {{convert|33.8|C|F}} in August 1990<ref>{{cite web | publisher = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]] | url= http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/monitordetail.php?seasonid=14&year=1990&indexid=TXx&stationid=1844 | title = Anomaly details for station Rothamsted, UK and index TXx: Maximum value of daily maximum temperature}}</ref> and July 2006.<ref>{{cite web | publisher = [[Met Office]]| url= http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/july2006 | title = Met Office: July 2006 – record temperatures and sunshine}}</ref> Records for Rothamsted date back to 1901.

{{Rothamsted weatherbox}}