United Kingdom Climate
Coverage: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
This month in numbers
April 2026 saw the United Kingdom experience its 7th warmest April on record, with a mean temperature of 9°C, a significant +2.3°C anomaly compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The period of February–April 2026 was the 4th warmest on record, with a mean temperature of 7.2°C, a +2.4°C anomaly. Sunshine was also notable, with April 2026 ranking as the 4th sunniest April on record, boasting 215 hours, which is 74 hours above average. Furthermore, the three-month period of February–April 2026 recorded the 3rd fewest frost days on record, with just 12 days, 17 fewer than the average.
What changed
The past three months have seen a continuation of warmer and sunnier conditions across the UK, with significantly fewer frost days than average. This contrasts with a very wet start to 2026, which saw persistent rainfall and widespread flooding in January and February, driven by a strong, south-shifted jet stream. While the UK experienced a drier April overall, with rainfall 11mm below average, the earlier months contributed to a 3-month rainfall anomaly that was still above average. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, indicating that the UK's warmth is part of a broader trend.
What’s driving change?
The warmer temperatures and reduced frost days in the UK are influenced by , with winters warming faster than summers at high latitudes. The earlier part of 2026 saw persistent rainfall and flooding, attributed to jet stream shifts, which steered successive low-pressure systems towards the UK. A "" over northern Europe also prevented weather fronts from clearing, causing them to stall over the UK and leading to continuous waves of rain. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, with an 82% chance for May-Jul and a 98% chance for Aug-Oct. Historically, El Niño events have a tendency for cooler late winters in Northern Europe, though very strong events can lead to warmer winters. The UK's infrastructure has faced increasing pressure from these extreme weather events, with three named storms bringing heavy rainfall, flooding, and strong winds across large parts of the UK in early 2026. More information on extreme weather can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The forecast suggests a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, which could influence cooler late winters for Northern Europe.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for United Kingdom
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.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
UK Tmean / Tmax / Tmin, rainfall, rain-days, sunshine and air-frost series. © Crown copyright.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in United Kingdom changing?
United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom come from?
Climate data for United Kingdom comes from the UK Met Office HadUK-Grid (temperature, rainfall, sunshine, air frost), Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), 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 United Kingdom climate data cover?
The United Kingdom climate profile covers England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall, sunshine & frost data since 1884
How often is the United Kingdom climate update refreshed?
The United Kingdom 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.