The UK is experiencing record-breaking extreme weather, firmly establishing the impact of the climate crisis. Data indicates a significant rise in the frequency and severity of hot days and intense rain, driven by carbon pollution from fossil fuels. Reports show a doubling of temperatures 5C above historic averages in the past decade, with rainfall intensity increasing by 50% over the last 20 years. The wettest period on record occurred in 2023-24, prompting serious flooding. Concurrently, rising sea levels exacerbate coastal flooding risks, and inadequate government response to climate impacts has been criticized.
The hottest days people endure have dramatically increased in frequency and severity, and periods of intense rain have also ramped up, data from hundreds of weather stations shows.
The number of days with temperatures 5C above the average for 1961-1990 had doubled in the last 10 years. For days 8C above average, the number has trebled, and for 10C above average it has quadrupled.
Much of the additional rain is falling in the months from October to March. That period in 2023-24 was the wettest ever, resulting in flooding in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, the West Midlands and elsewhere.
The soaring temperatures were made 100 times more likely by global heating, the scientists calculated.
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