England South Climate
City Coverage: London, Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton, Oxford, and Reading
This month in numbers
England South experienced an exceptionally warm and sunny April, with the mean temperature of 10.4°C ranking as the 6th warmest April in 127 years of records, an anomaly of +2.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Sunshine hours were also remarkably high, with 236 hours recorded, making it the 3rd sunniest April on record. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was the 2nd warmest on record for mean temperature, at 8.67°C, and saw the fewest frost days ever recorded for this period, with just 5 days, a significant 19 days fewer than average.
What changed
The recent three-month period (February–April 2026) in England South has been notably warm and frost-free, ranking 2nd for mean temperature and 1st for the fewest frost days in over a century of records. This contrasts with the national picture for April, which was also warmer than average across the UK, but England South's temperature anomaly of +2.6°C was slightly less extreme than the UK's +2.8°C. Globally, land temperatures for both April and the February-April period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, indicating a widespread warming trend.
What’s driving change?
The exceptionally warm and frost-free conditions in England South are influenced by a combination of factors. The () was positive in March 2026 (2.69) and February 2026 (0.68), following a negative phase in January 2026 (-0.36), which can steer weather systems. The region also experienced significant rainfall and flooding earlier in the year, with Storm Chandra in late January bringing exceptionally wet weather to the South West, and January seeing rainfall reach over 150% of the long-term average in both the South East and South West. This persistent unsettled pattern was driven by a strong, south-shifted jet stream. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a transition to El Niño most likely by May-July 2026, which typically brings cooler late winters to Northern Europe, though strong El Niños can reverse this trend. [/climate/enso]
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts suggest that land surface temperatures are expected to be above-normal nearly everywhere for the May-June-July season, including Europe.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for England 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 South changing?
England 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 South come from?
Climate data for England 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 South climate data cover?
The England South climate profile covers London, Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton and surrounding areas. Southern England climate data across the south coast and inland south
How often is the England South climate update refreshed?
The England 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.