London: Record-breaking extreme weather has become the new normal in the UK, scientists have said, confirming that the country is now firmly in the grip of the climate crisis.
An in-depth analysis by UK climate experts highlights a dramatic rise in both the frequency and severity of heatwaves and periods of intense rainfall, posing serious threats to public health, infrastructure, and the overall functioning of society.
Mike Kendon from the Met Office, who led the assessment, emphasized that, “The extremes have the greatest impact on our society, if we think about our infrastructure, our public health, and how we function. So, this is really of profound concern.”
The Met Office State of the UK Climate Report for 2024 shows that record breaking and extreme weather has become increasingly commonplace in the UK as our climate has changed over the last few decades
Published today by @wileyinresearch in @RMetS
Learn more 👇
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 14, 2025
Data gathered from hundreds of weather stations shows that the UK’s climate has changed significantly in just a few decades due to carbon pollution from fossil fuel burning. The number of days with temperatures 5°C above the 1961–1990 average has doubled in the last ten years. For days 8°C above average, the number has tripled, and for 10°C above average, it has quadrupled. Additionally, the UK has become 8percent sunnier over the past decade.
Rainfall intensity has also increased. The number of months where counties receive at least twice the average rainfall has surged by 50 percent over the past 20 years. Most of the additional rain has occurred from October to March. 2023–24 was the wettest period on record since 1767, leading to floods in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, the West Midlands, and other areas.
UK weather report
The climate report, titled State of the UK Climate 2024 and published in the International Journal of Climatology, found that the last three years rank among the five hottest years on record for the UK. Spring 2024 was officially the warmest ever, although that record has already been surpassed in 2025.
Mike Kendon noted that, “Breaking records frequently and seeing these extremes, this is now the norm. We might not notice the change from one year to the next, but if we look back 10 years or 30 years, we can see some massive changes. We’re moving outside the envelope of what we’ve known in the past.”
The assessment also found that cold weather events are becoming increasingly rare. Air frost days have declined by an average of 14 per year over the past decade compared to the 1931–1990 average. Nature is also responding to the warming trend. In 2024, the UK recorded its earliest-ever frogspawn and blackbird nesting, based on data collected since 1999.
Of the 13 natural events monitored, 12 occurred earlier than usual in 2024, including the first flowering of lesser celandine and the appearance of elder leaves. Dr Judith Garforth from the Woodland Trust explained that, “The changes mean species that depend on others, such as for food or pollination, risk getting out of sync.”
Sea levels around the UK are rising faster than the global average, having already increased by 19cm over the past century. Melting glaciers and ice sheets, along with ocean warming and expansion, are accelerating the rise. It could reach up to 200cm by 2100, warned Dr. Svetlana Jevrejeva of the National Oceanography Centre.
“The extra sea level rise [due to global heating] is leading to an increase in the frequency of extreme sea levels and an intensification of coastal hazards. It is only a matter of time until the UK is next in the path of a major storm surge event,” Jevrejeva said.
Storm surges, intensified by sea level rise, can be particularly destructive when combined with high tides. The cause of the UK’s above-average sea level rise remains under investigation.
Meanwhile, the human toll of extreme weather continues to rise. Approximately 600 people are believed to have died during the late-June heatwave in England and Wales. Scientists estimate that such high temperatures are made 100 times more likely by global warming. Two more heatwaves quickly followed.
Despite growing climate threats, the UK government’s response has been heavily criticised. In April, official climate advisers condemned the country’s preparation measures as ‘inadequate, piecemeal and disjointed.’
Professor Liz Bentley of the Royal Meteorological Society emphasized the urgency of the report’s findings: “This report is not just a record of change, but a call to action.”
ALSO READ | Fire breaks out at Erith warehouse; Crews battle blaze
