Extremes of heat and rainfall are becoming the new normal in the UK, the Met Office has warned in its latest report looking at Britain’s changing climate.
In its latest State of the Climate report, which covers the year 2024, it also confirms for the first time that sea level rise in the UK is higher than the global average, increasing risks of coastal flooding and erosion.
The report’s lead author Mike Kendon said the UK’s climate "is now notably different to what it was just a few decades ago."
The report highlights how the trend of the UK’s average temperature has been going up roughly 0.25C per decade, with some cooler years mixed in, since the 1980s.
Responding to the report, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Britain’s way of life is “under threat” from climate change.
He said: "Whether it is extreme heat, droughts, flooding, we can see it actually with our own eyes, that it’s already happening, and we need to act."
When comparing the most recent decade, 2015-2024, to 1961-1990, the hottest summer days and coldest winter nights have warmed around twice as much as average summer days and winter nights have in some parts of the UK.
At the same time, the frequency of the coldest nights we experience has also dropped dramatically.
Met Office Climate Scientist and Lead Author of the State of the UK Climate report, Mike Kendon, said: “Every year that goes by is another upward step on the warming trajectory our climate is on.
"Observations show that our climate in the UK is now notably different to what it was just a few decades ago.
"We are now seeing records being broken very frequently as we see temperature and rainfall extremes being the most affected by our changing climate."
• Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj
• Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news
Follow ITV News on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@itvnews?lang=en
Follow ITV News on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on X: https://twitter.com/itvnews
