Skip to content
UK weather in 2020-21

UK weather has become, if anything, less extreme, annual review shows

UK weather in 2020-21

London, 17 May – UK weather trends have changed very little in recent decades and have become, if anything, less extreme, according to a new paper published by the Global Warming Policy Foundation.

That’s according to an annual review of official weather data by climate researcher Paul Homewood. The paper shows that while very cold winters are now very rare, heatwaves have not been increasing.

Similarly, there have been fewer droughts in recent decades, but we are not seeing more wet years, wet months, or wet days.

Paul Homewood says:

“The UK’s weather is becoming, if anything,  less extreme. We are still waiting for evidence of a ‘climate crisis’ that politicians and environmentalists claim is upon us. But observational data shows that in the UK there is no evidence for any worsening weather trends.”

Homewood also notes that storms are not an increasing problem either, with extreme winds having been on the decline for 30 years. 

Note for journalists and bloggers:

Homewood’s paper is entitled “UK Weather in 2020-21” and can be downloaded here (pdf).

The GWPF invited the Royal Society and the Met Office to review and submit a response to this paper, to be published as an addendum to it. The invitation was not taken up.