England North Climate
City Coverage: Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, Middlesbrough, Carlisle, and Darlington
This month in numbers
England North experienced its 7th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 9°C, a significant 2.3°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This contributed to the period of February–April 2026 ranking as the 4th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 7.23°C, 2.6°C above the baseline. April also saw the 3rd sunniest conditions on record, with 226 hours of sunshine, 93 hours more than average. Frost days were notably low, with February–April 2026 recording the 2nd fewest frost days on record, at just 9 days, 20 fewer than the average.
What changed
The past three months have been exceptionally warm and bright for England North, with the region experiencing its 4th warmest February–April period on record. This trend aligns with a broader national picture of above-average temperatures, as the UK as a whole also saw a warmer April, with a national average of 9.72°C, 2.8°C above average. Globally, land temperatures for February–April 2026 ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, indicating a widespread warming trend. England North's 1-month temperature anomaly of +2.34°C placed it 98th out of 234 regions globally, while its 3-month anomaly of +2.57°C ranked it 59th.
What’s driving change?
The warmer conditions in England North are influenced by several factors. The () was in a positive phase in March 2026, at 2.69, following a positive phase in February at 0.68, which typically brings milder, wetter weather to northern Europe. The current ENSO state is Neutral, though a transition to El Niño is forecast to become the most likely phase from May-July 2026, with a 61% probability, increasing to 87% by July-September. While a Neutral ENSO phase generally means muted influence, El Niño typically brings cooler late winters to Northern Europe, though very strong El Niños have historically led to warmer winters.
The region also experienced some notable weather events. Storm Dave impacted the UK around April 5, 2026, causing power cuts and travel disruption in Northern England due to strong winds. Following this, a brief period of record-breaking warmth hit the UK on April 8, 2026, with temperatures in some areas of England reaching highs usually seen in late summer, before a rapid drop in temperature and a return to unsettled conditions with frost in some northern areas. In February 2026, parts of Northumberland and North Yorkshire were forecast to experience freezing rain, a rare weather phenomenon.
Looking ahead
Following the recent warm April, a substantial northerly air outbreak is expected in the coming weeks, bringing noticeably cooler weather to England and Wales, although widespread frost or snow is not anticipated for these regions.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for England North
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 North changing?
England North 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 North come from?
Climate data for England North 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 North climate data cover?
The England North climate profile covers Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, Middlesbrough and surrounding areas. Northern England climate data from Tyneside to Cumbria
How often is the England North climate update refreshed?
The England North 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.