The Weathering Observatory

Extreme 24-hour rainfall events, like the one that fueled the devastating floods of Storm Desmond, are now about 40% more likely due to climate change. Storm Desmond brought heavy rainfall and high winds that led to devastating flooding in Northern England, Southern Scotland and Ireland, and left many families with damaged homes.

In the summer of 2022 and 2024, the UK experienced unprecedented heat waves. Temperatures in London exceeded 40. In 2022 approximately 2500 deaths.

A relentless series of storms during the 2023-24 season brought rainfall that was made about 20% heavier by human-caused climate change. These intensified downpours have become roughly 10 times more likely to occur in our current warming world.

Overall winter precipitation in the UK is becoming more frequent and intense, with the likelihood of exceptionally wet winters increasing by at least 20%. This trend is creating a new normal of persistent seasonal flooding that challenges the UK’s existing flood defenses.

Climate change made the extreme fire weather conditions of UK’s 2022 heatwave at least six times more likely. There were over 24k wildfires in the UK in 2022, including many urban wildfires, a four fold increase on the previous year. At least 20 homes were destroyed in London.