England Climate
City Coverage: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, and Newcastle
This month in numbers
England experienced its 6th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 10°C, a significant 2.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. April also saw the 3rd sunniest conditions on record, with 232 hours of sunshine, 90 hours more than average. Rainfall was notably low, ranking as the 114th driest April with just 21.3 mm, 34.4 mm below average.
What changed
The period of February to April 2026 was the 2nd warmest on record for England, with an average temperature of 8.2°C, a substantial 2.9°C above the baseline. This period also recorded the fewest frost days on record, with only 6 days, 19 fewer than average. This marks a significant departure from typical conditions, with England experiencing a much milder and sunnier start to the year compared to its historical averages. Globally, land temperatures for both April and the February-April period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, indicating a broader trend of warming. England's April temperature anomaly of +2.63°C placed it 78th out of 234 regions globally, while its 3-month anomaly of +2.86°C ranked it 44th.
What’s driving change?
The exceptionally mild and sunny conditions, coupled with a record low number of frost days, are consistent with the broader trend of , where winters are warming faster at higher latitudes. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a +0.11°C anomaly, meaning its influence on UK weather patterns is likely muted for now ENSO tracker. However, the NOAA CPC forecast indicates a 61% chance of El Niño developing by May-Jul, rising to 87% by Jul-Sep. Historically, El Niño events have tended to bring cooler late winters to Northern Europe, though very strong events have sometimes led to warmer winters. England has seen a recovery from drought conditions due to four months of above-average rainfall leading up to March 2026, though the Environment Agency warns of rapid swings between drought and flooding due to climate change.
Looking ahead
The Met Office long-range forecast for April-May-June suggests that while signals are limited, there is a small but consistent signal for high pressure near or north of the UK in April, potentially leading to drier than normal conditions, particularly in northwestern areas. Later in the period, there is an increased chance of warm conditions and a greater-than-normal chance of heatwaves in early summer.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Loading climate data...
Data Sources
Data Sources for England
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in England changing?
England is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for England come from?
Climate data for England comes from the UK Met Office HadUK-Grid (temperature, rainfall, sunshine, air frost), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the England climate data cover?
The England climate profile covers London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and surrounding areas. National England climate data from the Met Office regional series
How often is the England climate update refreshed?
The England climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.