UK winter nowhere near a record breaker despite relentless rain and storms
Our winters are already getting warmer and wetter.
According to the Met Office, UK winters have already warmed by 1C (1.8F) since the 1950s due to human-induced global warming.
Six of the ten warmest winters on record have occurred since the year 2000, with only one 21st century winter (2009/2010) featuring in the top ten coldest.
This means we are seeing less snow and fewer frosts – in fact we now get around four weeks less ground frost than we did half a century ago.
However, one thing we are seeing more of is rain.
Out of nearly 260 years of records, six out of the ten wettest winter half-years – the period from October to March – have been since the year 2000.
These changes are predicted to continue as the world continues to warm.
In a situation where high levels of greenhouse gas emissions continue, the Met Office expects winters to be between 1 and 4.5C (1.8-8.1F) warmer than they were in 1990 – and up to 30% wetter.
That is because a warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture, so when rain comes it will be heavier and more intense.