Extreme weather 'becoming the norm' - as minister warns UK's way of life 'under threat'
In an updated assessment of the UK's climate, the forecaster says heatwaves and periods of flood or drought are becoming more frequent and more intense.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband called the findings "a stark warning" to take action on climate and nature.
"Our British way of life is under threat," Mr Miliband told the PA news agency.
"Whether it is extreme heat, droughts, flooding, we can see it actually with our own eyes, that it's already happening, and we need to act."
The report shows the period between October 2023 and March 2024 was the wettest winter period in England and Wales in over 250 years.
Spring 2024 was also the warmest on record.
It says the increasing extremes are "typical of recent years".
Mike Kendon, a Met Office climate scientist and lead author of the State of the UK Climate report, 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."
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The report compares the decade up to 2024 with long-term averages between 1961 and 1990.
While the average temperature is increasing, the hottest summer days and coldest winter nights have warmed twice as fast.
The climate is also becoming wetter - with the extra rain falling between October and March.
Over the last decade, rainfall over the six-month winter period was 16% higher than the average between 1961 and 1990.
Effects of UK climate change 'deeply concerning'
Chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, Professor Liz Bentley, said the report "reinforces the clear and urgent signals of our changing climate".
"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," she said.
"This report is not just a record of change, but a call to action."
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Kathryn Brown, director of climate change at The Wildlife Trusts, said the effects of climate change on UK wildlife were already "deeply concerning".
"From swifts dropping out of the sky during heatwaves to trees flowering much earlier than they have in the past," she said.
"We are particularly worried about the effects of droughts on our nature reserves."
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The Independent
38 minutes ago
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
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EXCLUSIVE Defiant TikTokers vow to ignore hosepipe ban 'because they pay their water bills'... as experts share tips on how to get around it without breaking the law
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Other TikTok users have been filling up pools before the hosepipe ban in their area came in Reservoir levels continue to fall, with storage across the country at 76 per cent. Millions of households are facing water restrictions, with a hosepipe ban implemented in Yorkshire last Friday in the face of reservoir storage at only 54 per cent. Yorkshire Water said restrictions on using hosepipes for activities such as watering the garden, cleaning cars and filling paddling pools were brought in to try to protect supplies in the face of more dry weather forecast in the coming weeks. Customers who ignore the hosepipe ban could face fines of up to £1,000, but the utility said 'we hope it won't come to that' as it urged households to help conserve water by sticking to the restrictions. The restrictions include using a hosepipe to water gardens and wash private vehicles, fill domestic pools or clean outdoor surfaces. People can still wash their car and water their gardens using tap water from a bucket or watering can, while the region's 139,000 businesses will be allowed to use a hosepipe if it is directly related to an essential commercial purpose - but not for other uses such as cleaning paths outside a business property. Youlgrave Waterworks, a private firm which supplies 500 homes in Derbyshire, became the first to introduce a hosepipe ban at the start of last month. But Yorkshire Water was the first major utility to bring in restrictions for its 5.7million customers. Embattled utility Thames Water has also announced a ban which will begin next Tuesday for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire. London has avoided the ban, which will be applied to 1.1million customers in postcodes beginning with OX, GL, SN, RG4, RG8 and RG9. The water company has asked customers not to use hosepipes, including for cleaning cars, watering plants, filling pools or cleaning windows. Businesses which use water as a core part of their purpose, such as garden centres and car washes, will be exempt. South East Water has a ban in place from this Friday, which will affect homes and businesses in Ashford, Canterbury, Eastbourne, Maidstone, Haywards Heath and Royal Tunbridge Wells. Southern Water's water managing director Tim McMahon said: 'We're sorry we're taking this step, but as other water companies have already done, we have to respond to the widespread and prolonged dry weather affecting our region. Some people have come up with workarounds, such as filling up the pool with a kettle (right)- or running the water from an outside tap through a water bottle with a hole in the bottom (left) While some appeared to be confused as to what the ban means (left), gardening experts say those in hosepipe ban areas can still water their plants by filling up a watering can (right) 'In our case, this means a hosepipe ban for our customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to protect the health of our amazing chalk streams, which as one of the rarest habitats on earth has been compared to the Amazon Rainforest. 'We must act now to support the wildlife that live there, including Atlantic salmon and southern damselfly.' He said the company has been working '24/7' to find and fix leaks, and ensuring the network is working as efficiently as possible, but it is 'not enough', and he urged customers to help to reduce use by adhering to the ban. Meanwhile Anglian Water, which supplies drinking water to 4.3 million customers across the East of England - the driest part of the country - said recent rain has prevented the need for a hosepipe ban, but one could still be required this summer. Recent rain has helped river and reservoir levels and more is predicted for the coming weeks, but with an 'exceptionally dry' few months and uncertainty over the forecast, a hosepipe ban may yet be needed, the utility said. The warning comes after East Anglia was among the regions moved into prolonged dry weather status, at the same time drought was declared in the East and West Midlands. Anglian Water's director of water services, Ian Rule, said: 'The East of England is the driest part of the country so we're used to seeing a lack of rainfall in our region and we plan accordingly. 'Our focus on leakage, and the investment we've put in place to give us resilience in the face of climate change, has helped to delay the need for restrictions, but the last few months have been exceptionally dry, even by our standards. 'River levels had been looking very low following the historically dry spring, but they have responded better than expected to recent rainfall. 'There is also some rain in the forecast over the coming weeks which, if it materialises, could provide some welcome respite for the region's rivers and reservoirs. 'However, the forecast is far from certain, so we're closely monitoring the situation and if the exceptionally dry weather does continue, then restrictions might still be needed this summer.' He also said the dry ground means water pipes are at greater risk of shifting and breaking, and the company is facing an increase in issues being reported, with teams working round the clock to fix burst and leaking pipes. The company does not want to put restrictions in place unnecessarily, he added, but protecting the environment and the region's 'vital' agricultural sector means leaving as much water in the environment as possible. The Environment Agency has warned that without substantial rain, more bans will follow. The drought declaration for the Midlands, where some river flows are at their lowest for June since 1976, came after the latest meeting of the National Drought Group - with the situation deteriorating since the group last met in early June. Water companies are being told to follow their drought management plans as well as step up work to fix leaks. The public are being urged to use water wisely across England and comply with any local restrictions as the dry weather continues to impact water resources nationwide. Anglers, wild swimmers and boaters are also being urged to report any environmental issues they see, such as fish in distress in low water conditions.
