The British Isles are an archipelago off the northwest coast of Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland along with smaller surrounding ones. Its position allows dry continental air from Eurasia to meet wetter air from the Atlantic Ocean, which causes the weather to be highly variable, often changing many times during the day. It is defined as a temperate oceanic climate, or Cfb on the Köppen climate classification system. It is significantly warmer than other regions on the same latitude, previously thought to be due to the warmth provided by the Gulf Stream; however, this has been disproven, and most of the mild temperatures have been linked to the Rocky Mountains and the heat storing capabilities of the North Atlantic Ocean. Temperatures do not often switch between