England Climate
City Coverage: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, and Newcastle
This month in numbers
England experienced its warmest spring on record for mean temperature, with March to May 2026 ranking 1st of 127 years with an average of 10.43°C, an anomaly of +2.7°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. May 2026 itself was the 2nd warmest May on record, with a mean temperature of 13.4°C, an anomaly of +2.8°C. The spring also saw exceptional sunshine, ranking 3rd sunniest on record with 605 hours, 171 hours above average. Rainfall for the March to May period was significantly below average, ranking 116th driest with 112.1 mm, a deficit of 69.2 mm.
What changed
The exceptionally warm and sunny spring in England stands out, with all three months of meteorological spring (March, April, and May) ranking within the UK's top ten warmest on record. England's mean temperature of 10.41°C for spring surpassed last year's record, making 2026, 2025, and 2024 the three warmest springs on record for England. This regional warmth was more pronounced than the national picture, as the UK as a whole recorded its 3rd warmest spring. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest on record for global land temperature, and the February–April 2026 period was also the 2nd warmest on record.
What’s driving change?
The record-breaking warmth in England this spring, particularly the late May heatwave, was driven by a combination of factors. A stalled high-pressure system, acting as a heat dome, trapped hot air over the region, leading to prolonged periods of high temperatures. This was exacerbated by , where already dry soils could not cool themselves through evaporation, further heating the air. The rapid onset of the heatwave, with temperatures rising by up to 10°C in just two days, also contributed to its exceptional nature. The broader context of global warming means that such extreme conditions are becoming more frequent. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but an El Niño is strongly forecast to develop from May-July onwards, with a 98% chance by August-October, which typically brings cooler late winters to Northern Europe, though very strong El Niños have historically flipped this to warmer winters. ENSO tracker
Looking ahead
The Met Office long-range forecast suggests that while June, July, and August are likely to experience near-average conditions overall, there is a slightly greater likelihood of warmer-than-average temperatures compared to cooler ones, reflecting ongoing long-term warming trends.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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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.