The State of the UK Climate 2024 report, published in the International Journal of Climatology, presents an analysis of the UK’s climate over the past year and highlights ongoing trends in temperature, precipitation, and sea level rise. The findings underscore the increasing influence of climate change on the UK’s weather patterns and long-term climate indicators.

The report confirms that 2024 was the fourth-warmest year on record for the UK, with a provisional mean temperature of 9.78 °C, approximately 0.64 °C above the 1991–2020 average. The decade 2015–2024 was also the warmest on record, approximately 1.24 °C warmer than the 1961–1990 baseline. Temperature extremes are becoming more common: the frequency of days with temperatures exceeding 5 °C above average has doubled since the 1960s–1980s. May 2024 was the warmest on record, and the year also saw the second-warmest February and the warmest spring in UK observational history.

In addition to warming, the report documents increased precipitation. 2024 was the 13th-wettest year in a national series dating back to 1836, and Winter 2023–24 was the wettest on record. The 2015–2024 decade was around 10% wetter than 1961–1990, with several significant flood events recorded.

The report provides robust evidence of the UK’s changing climate and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. These trends are consistent with broader global patterns of climate change and emphasis the growing importance of adaptation and mitigation strategies across all sectors.

Read the full report here.