Record-breaking extreme weather is now considered the norm in the UK, indicating the country’s firm grip on the climate crisis. Studies reveal an increase in the frequency and severity of the hottest days endured by people, as well as a rise in intense rain periods, according to data from numerous weather stations. These heatwaves and floods result in deaths and costly damage, raising significant concerns for health, infrastructure, and societal functioning.
Scientists highlight that weather records clearly indicate the UK’s changing climate, attributing this change to carbon pollution produced by burning fossil fuels. Over the past decade, the number of days with temperatures exceeding 5°C above the average for 1961-1990 has doubled, tripled for temperatures 8°C above average, and quadrupled for temperatures 10°C above average. Additionally, the UK has become 8% sunnier over the same period.
The assessment also reports an increase in the intensity of rain. In the last 20 years, the number of months where counties receive at least double the average rainfall has increased by 50%. The majority of the additional rain falls between October and March. In 2023-24, this period experienced the heaviest rainfall on record, dating back to 1767, leading to flooding in several regions.
The UK’s rising sea levels, which are higher than the global average, exacerbate the impact of coastal flooding. It is believed that around 600 people died due to June’s heatwave in England and Wales, which was made 100 times more likely by global heating. The government’s efforts to protect people from the escalating impacts of the climate crisis are deemed inadequate and fragmented by official advisers.
Mike Kendon, from the Met Office, states that frequent record-breaking and extreme weather events have become the new norm. The extremes have significant consequences for society, including infrastructure, public health, and overall functioning. The assessment, titled the State of the UK Climate 2024, found that the last three years were among the UK’s top five hottest years on record. The warmest spring on record was observed in 2024, although it has already been surpassed in 2025.
The Central England Temperature series, the longest instrumental record in the world, demonstrates that recent temperatures far exceed any recorded in the past 300 years. However, future projections suggest that today’s high temperatures will become the average by 2050 and cool by 2100.
Sea levels around the UK have risen by 19 centimeters over the past century, and the rise is accelerating. It is expected to reach up to 200 centimeters by the end of the century. Dr. Svetlana Jevrejeva, from the National Oceanography Centre, explains that global heating increases the frequency of extreme sea levels and intensifies coastal hazards. It is only a matter of time until the UK faces a major storm surge event, she adds.
Heat records are increasingly being broken, while cold weather events are becoming less common. Over the past decade, there has been a decline of 14 days with air frosts compared to the 1931-1990 average.
The UK’s changing climate has also affected nature, with early frogspawn and blackbird nesting observed in 2024. Almost all natural events monitored were earlier than average, potentially causing species to become out of sync with each other.
Professor Liz Bentley, from the Royal Meteorological Society, emphasizes the urgent need for the UK to build resilience to climate-fueled extreme weather by stating that the report is not only a record of change but also a call to action.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/14/profound-concern-as-scientists-say-extreme-heat-now-the-norm-in-uk
