State of the UK Climate 2022

This report provides a summary of the UK's weather and climate through the calendar year 2022, alongside the historical context for a number of essential climate variables. This is the ninth in a series of annual ‘State of the UK Climate’ publications and an update to the 2021 report (Kendon et al., 2022). It provides an accessible, authoritative and up-to-date assessment of UK climate trends, variations and extremes based on the most up-to-date observational datasets of climate quality. Futile it were to heave the fretful sigh When facile mirth is free to such as I: Should cheerless rain from high Olympus fall, I choose wet weather, and record it all. A poem in the preface to British Rainfall, 1916 (British Rainfall Organization, 1917) This report provides a summary of the UK's weather and climate through the calendar year 2022, alongside the historical context for a number of essential climate variables. This is the ninth in a series of annual ‘State of the UK Climate’ publications and an update to the 2021 report (Kendon et al., 2022). It provides an accessible, authoritative and up-to-date assessment of UK climate trends, variations and extremes based on the most up-to-date observational datasets of climate quality. The majority of this report is based on observations of temperature, precipitation, sunshine and wind speed from the UK land weather station network as managed by the Met Office and a number of key partners and co-operating volunteers. The observations are carefully managed so that they conform to current best-practice observational standards as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The observations also pass through a range of quality assurance procedures at the Met Office before application for climate monitoring. Time series of near-coast sea-surface temperature (SST) and sea-level are also presented, and in addition there is a short section on phenology which provides dates of ‘first leaf’ and ‘bare tree’ indicators for four common shrub or tree species plus several other indicators. The reliance of this report on these observations highlights the ongoing need to adequately maintain the observation networks, in particular the UK land weather station network, into the future, to ensure that this UK climate monitoring capability is continued. National and regional statistics in this report are from the HadUK-Grid dataset which is the principal source of data (Hollis et al., 2019). Temperature and rainfall series from this dataset extend back to 1884 and 1836 respectively. Details of the datasets used throughout this report and how the various series which are presented are derived are provided in the appendices. This version of the dataset includes two significant additions compared to last year: firstly, an updated version of the digitized historical monthly rainfall data between 1836 and 1960, further improving the geographical representation of rainfall through this period (Hawkins et al., 2022); secondly, the addition of digitized historical monthly sunshine data from Met Office Monthly Weather Reports (MWRs) before 1919, allowing for the extension of the national sunshine series back to 1910. The report presents summary statistics for the most recent year 2022 and the most recent decade 2013–2022 against the 30-year standard climate normal period 1991–2020 and the baseline period 1961–1990, following WMO climatological best practice (WMO, 2017). These two 30-year reference periods do not overlap. The baseline reference period 1961–1990 provides a consistent reference period used throughout the series of State of UK Climate reports and more widely for historical comparison, climate change monitoring and climate modelling. The full series provides longer-term context, while a comparison is also made to centennial averages for the Central temperature The decade 2013–2022 provides a of the most recent of the UK's climate and how that to historical between 2013–2022 and the 30-year reference periods variations as as this annual the most recent decade while the most recent 30-year reference period the the and to the 1991–2020 reference period The majority of in this report the year 2022 to 1991–2020 that they are which the in this from to 1961–1990 are also and the report also a number of for the most recent decade 2013–2022 against 1991–2020 and of are in most not these are by the which for this report is of a the These data are presented to in recent not is to in a two UK Climate for annual temperature and rainfall are to context to in throughout this report are the between two such is in the the most recent decade this is from the for publications of this to the Met Office at This State of the UK Climate report by the Met Office Climate by sea-level for the four of 2022 to the 1991–2020 the et al., This provides an of for A high from of the to the of the a and consistent a 2021 normal the of the a high the UK a of weather for of the in the UK between a high the and a to the The and wet a of a the normal the UK in the a high the this high the in it to the significant of high weather in the more normal in the A high the UK and it a and in the normal in of the normal in the and the weather and normal in of weather, an also normal in to a the weather for the of the and a further significant this the weather more A to the of the UK for and a of weather this in a the and a high in a and wet a the and high to the the to the of the The of the the and at weather from the normal the year significant of weather high in and and weather in and the from to 2022 provides of the and throughout the report to the year in which and This is a of the in the between the and which the of the and is the principal of of in this When the is the is and and more When the is the is an for weather the of weather The for 2022 to the majority of for the most recent and in to the A to a the UK this a in the in the the rainfall by wet and a to sunshine in the UK more the of high The UK a of wet in the most recent consistent this current of the the wet of and the a annual also periods of the to and and the which are also by the in et in the and an in of the from to 2022 provides of the to the this is a of climate in the based on the based on a more and the the more of the in The 2022 a to and and for the UK the and recent a and 2021 and these were and the the periods of the to and the and et a in the the which includes the of wet from to The in the in the most recent decade the UK's annual in the weather and this The UK temperature for 2022 which is the 1991–2020 2022 the year on record in the UK series from 1884 and also the year an annual temperature in The to 1991–2020 were and and The UK temperature the 1961–1990 baseline The most recent decade 2013–2022 1991–2020 and 1961–1990, more and and and of the 2013–2022 the for the UK and this is the period in the UK The UK annual temperature for 2022 the 1991–2020 and the year in the UK's series from 1884 by a in The were high such as and The UK annual temperature for 2022 which is in the to the and for this not the UK's year on and and monthly for the UK for and annual and and for the UK and for A key of the year the of the year were the 1991–2020 were or in and the in the and respectively. for the UK of the of the year were in the in series from 2022 the for 2022 the for and and 2022 the on record for the UK there two calendar 2022 in the last and and in the of the series for the UK and four It the UK's that four in the most recent decade to and and a of the for the UK four were in the in series from 1884 from and on there were in the UK the temperature the 1991–2020 for or The year 2022 the year on record for the UK and four and annual for the UK and for the most recent decade 2013–2022 against 1961–1990 and The most recent decade 1991–2020 and consistent and the most recent decade 2013–2022 to 1961–1990, UK between and to for the UK and the of in for 2013–2022 to are for and and and by change in These statistics annual and in the UK's climate in addition to the ongoing to climate a series of annual for the UK and from 1884 to 2022 and that the period of for the UK from the at a of decade in the last in the UK series in the of the in this The year this is in the UK other year this in the in the of the in the most recent decade 2013–2022 in the the two in the and annual and for the UK from 1884 to 2022 as to These series are is for the most recent decade 1961–1990 by for and for The UK temperature range is a recent in the to to to the UK temperature for four the annual the series and a in temperature four from the or The most recent decade 2013–2022 of in the in series in in 2022); 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