Urgent warning from Met Office as report shows extreme weather is 'new normal'
The Met Office has issued an urgent warning as extreme weather has become the 'new norm' for the UK. We enjoyed the sunniest spring on record this year and are just out a sweltering heatwave.
But we have also seen some wild weather, and these trends of extremely hot weather mixed with severe storms and rainfall show the concerning impact of global warming on our climate.
The new State of the UK Climate report was published by Wiley in the Royal Meteorological Society's 'International Journal of Climatology'. It shows that the last three years have been in the top five warmest on record for the UK, with records beginning in 1884.
UK temperatures have warmed at a rate of approximately 0.25C per decade since the 1980s, with the most recent decade (2015-2024) being 1.24C warmer than 1961-1990.
The report is based on data from a network of several hundred weather stations, with temperature and rainfall records dating back to the 1800s providing the long term context for climate change.
The hottest summer days and coldest winter nights have warmed around twice as much in some parts of the UK when comparing the most recent decade of 2015-2024 to 1961-1990. Rainfall has also increased dramatically, bringing greater risks of flooding in the UK.
The overall increase in rainfall was caused by an upward trend of rain in the winter half-year (October to March). For 2015-2024, the winter half-year is now 16 per cent wetter than 1961-1990 for the UK.
Met Office Climate Scientist and Lead Author of the State of the UK Climate report, Mike Kendon, said: 'Every year that goes by is another upward step on the warming trajectory our climate is on.
"Observations show that our climate in the UK is now notably different to what it was just a few decades ago. We are now seeing records being broken very frequently as we see temperature and rainfall extremes being the most affected by our changing climate."
These changes in temperature and rainfall have already led to an increase in extreme weather events for the UK.
While we've seen major storms this year, such as Storm Éowyn, and several record-breaking heatwaves already, the report only uses data up until the end of 2024. However, it details a spike in severe weather up until the end of last year that caused widespread damage and several deaths.
The UK saw widespread flooding last year caused by storms Babet, Ciarán, Debi, Elin, Fergus, Gerrit, Henk, Isha and Jocelyn, and parts of Eastern Scotland in particular were affected.
Parts of South Wales also experienced severe flooding from storm Bert in late November 2024, with 100 to 150mm or more of rain falling across high ground. This multi-hazard storm brought heavy rain, strong winds and caused several deaths.
Red warnings were also issued across the UK for storm Isha in January and storm Darragh in December of 2024.
Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, Professor Liz Bentley, said: 'This latest edition of the State of the UK Climate report reinforces the clear and urgent signals of our changing climate, rooted in robust observational science.
"It documents changes in temperature, rainfall, sea level, and weather extremes that are affecting lives, infrastructure, and ecosystems across the UK.
'The report draws particular attention to the last decade that clearly shows how quickly our climate is evolving to inform policy, resilience planning, and adaptation. Perhaps most striking is the growing impact of extremes.
"While long-term averages are shifting, it is the extreme heat, intense rainfall and droughts that are having the most immediate and dramatic effects on people and nature. This report is not just a record of change, but a call to action.'
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