UK's extreme weather is the new normal, Met Office says

In the southeast of England, Kendon observes, “we are seeing the emergence of caller warmer climates.” He notes that areas such as the Vale of York and Lancashire are experiencing temperatures comparable to those recorded in Greater London during the 1961‑1990 period. “Think of this warming arsenic moving northbound and uphill,” Kendon explains, pointing out that the UK is losing its coldest mountain‑top habitats. The effects of extreme vigor have already appeared this summer, with many parts of the UK enduring days of above‑average temperature and unusually high humidity. More than 2,700 radical whitethorn person died from heat‑related causes in England and Wales during the exceptionally blistery upwind of May and June, according to experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Researchers also evaluated water availability during outpouring and summer months, alongside drought frequency. During outpouring 2025, roughly of England and Wales received less than half of the 1991‑2020 average rainfall, marking England’s driest outpouring for over 100 years. The total volume of water flowing through English rivers from March to August 2025 ranked as the second lowest since 1961. Looking ahead, climate change is projected to intensify winter rainfall and increase flood risk across the UK, while hotter, drier summers are likely to worsen drought conditions. Reduced rainfall further impacts soil quality and agricultural output. This year, soils across central and southern England were drier than average for the season by the end of June. Plant growth can be stunted in parched soil, which in turn affects animals and birds that rely on vegetation for food, as well as the success of food crops. Dry landscapes heighten wildfire risk, and arid soil heats up more quickly, potentially amplifying heatwaves.