England SE & Central South Climate
City Coverage: London, Oxford, Reading, Southampton, Portsmouth, and Brighton
This month in numbers
April 2026 in England SE & Central South saw a mean temperature of 10.7°C, an anomaly of +2.7°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking as the 6th warmest April on record. The region experienced its 3rd sunniest April on record, with 244 hours of sunshine, an impressive 90 hours above average. Looking at the three-month period from February to April 2026, the mean temperature of 9°C was the warmest on record, an anomaly of +3.1°C, and there were only 5 frost days, making it the 2nd fewest on record.
What changed
The past three months (February-April 2026) have been exceptionally warm and bright for England SE & Central South, with the warmest mean temperature and the second fewest frost days on record. This trend is notably warmer than the national picture, where the UK as a whole saw its seventh warmest April on record and its fourth sunniest. England SE & Central South's April rainfall was significantly below average, with just 9.4 mm, ranking it as the 119th driest April on record. This contrasts with some regional variations across the UK, where northern England received more rainfall, but southern England, particularly the southeast, was notably dry.
What’s driving change?
The significantly warmer and sunnier conditions, coupled with fewer frost days, are consistent with the long-term trend of land warming faster than ocean. While the current ENSO state is Neutral, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +0.9°C, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of El Niño developing between May and July, with an 87% chance by July-September. Historically, El Niño events have been associated with a heightened likelihood of colder, drier winters in the UK, although impacts often lag the event itself. The Met Office noted that April 2026 saw high pressure becoming increasingly dominant, leading to settled weather, clearer skies, and warmer temperatures for many, particularly in southern and eastern England.
Looking ahead
Forecasts suggest a likely return of El Niño conditions as early as May–July 2026, with a strong possibility of intensification into a strong event by the end of the year, which could bring elevated temperatures throughout the summer months for Britons.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for England SE & Central South
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 SE & Central South changing?
England SE & Central South 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 SE & Central South come from?
Climate data for England SE & Central South 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 SE & Central South climate data cover?
The England SE & Central South climate profile covers London, Oxford, Reading, Southampton and surrounding areas. London, the South East and Central Southern England climate data
How often is the England SE & Central South climate update refreshed?
The England SE & Central South 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.