During the period in consideration, the highest amount of rainfall in Scotland was recorded in December 2015 at ***** millimeters. In comparison, rainfall in December 2024 amounted to ***** millimeters. The driest month during this period was April 2020, when just **** millimeters of rain fell. Annual rainfall The annual rainfall in Scotland has fluctuated since 1994, with **** being the wettest year. That year, the country recorded approximately ***** mm of rain. On average, Scotland receives the highest annual volume of rain in the United Kingdom. This is mostly due to its mountainous landscape in the north. Wet seasons Whilst it rains all year round in Scotland, the wettest periods are ****************r. In 2014, 2016 and 2020 ****** was by far the wettest season, with volumes reaching *** millimeters in 2016. However, the wettest season in 2019 was ******.
Scotland has seen its annual rainfall vary since 1994, though it usually received more than 1,500 millimeters of rain per year. However, in 2003 the recorded rainfall amounted to 1,207 millimeters, which was the lowest during this period. Rainfall peaked in 2011 at 1,863 millimeters. In 2023, annual rainfall totals reached 1,574 millimeters.
Wet end to the year
The wettest months in Scotland tend to be those at the end of each year, with December of 2015 recording higher than normal levels of rain at 324 millimeters. That same month there was an average of 25.4 raindays. Raindays are defined as those where more than 1mm of rain falls.
Why is it so wet in Scotland?
With its mountainous landscape, it is no coincidence that on average it is Scotland that receives the most annual rain in the UK. The wettest parts of the UK are generally in mountainous regions, with the Western Highlands prone to high levels of rain. Here, rainfall can be 3,000 millimeters per year. However, the East of Scotland can see levels as low as 800 millimeters. This is often due to rainfall from the Atlantic weather systems coming in from the West and as these systems move east, rain deposits reduce.
There were **** raindays recorded in Scotland in December 2015. This was the highest number of raindays in the reported period. The lowest number of raindays was recorded in June 2021, when *** days had more than one millimeter of rainfall within a day.
Winter and autumn in Scotland tend to be the wettest seasons of the year. Since 2011, the most rainfall occurred in the winter of 2016, in which ***** millimeters of rain fell. The winter months of 2020 were also especially wet, with the average rainfall amounting to nearly *** millimeters. The autumn of 2024 saw around *** millimeters of rain, far below the average autumn rainfall seen since 2011.
Extract of Data relating to the recorded monthly rainfall.The dataset 'Scotland_W Rainfall (mm)' is an Areal series, starting from 1910. Allowances have been made for topographic, coastal and urban effects where relationships are found to exist. Seasons: Winter=Dec-Feb, Spring=Mar-May, Summer=June-Aug, Autumn=Sept-Nov. (Winter: Year refers to Jan/Feb). Values are ranked and displayed to 1 decimal point. Where values are equal, rankings are based in order of year descending. Data are provisional from January 2013 & Winter 2012/2013 Dataset available here West of Scotland monthly rainfall from 1910 - 2013 is compiled using the main Glasgow Weather station based in Bishopton. Data is collected from numerous weather stations including those based in Glasgow. Last updated 01/07/2013. 'Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0' Licence: None
Between 2001 and 2024, the average rainfall in the United Kingdom varied greatly. In 2010, rainfall dropped to a low of 1,020 millimeters, which was a noticeable decrease when compared to the previous year. However, the following year, rainfall increased significantly to a peak of 1,889 millimeters. During the period in consideration, rainfall rarely rose above 1,500 millimeters. In 2024, the annual average rainfall in the UK surpassed 1,386 millimeters. Monthly rainfall On average, rainfall is most common at the start and end of the year. Between 2014 and 2024, monthly rainfall peaked in December 2015 at approximately 217 millimeters. This was the first of only two times during this period that the average monthly rainfall rose above 200 millimeters. This was a deviation from December’s long-term mean of some 134 millimeters. Rainfall highest in Scotland In the United Kingdom, rain is often concentrated around mountainous regions such as the Scottish Highlands, so it is no surprise to see that – on average – it is Scotland that receives the most rainfall annually. However, in 2024, Wales received the highest rainfall amounting to approximately 1,600 millimeters. Geographically, it is the north and west of the United Kingdom that receives the lion's share of rain, as it is more susceptible to rainfall coming in from the Atlantic.
Extract of Data relating to the recorded monthly Rain Days (days where >=1mm of rain fell). The 'Scotland_W Days of Rain Days' dataset is an Aereal Series starting from 1961. Allowances have been made for topographic, coastal and urban effects where relationships are found to exist. Seasons: Winter=Dec-Feb, Spring=Mar-May, Summer=June-Aug, Autumn=Sept-Nov. (Winter: Year refers to Jan/Feb). Monthly values are ranked and displayed to 1 decimal point Where values are equal, rankings are based in order of year descending. Data are provisional from January 2013 & Winter 2012/2013. Dataset available here West of Scotland monthly Rain Days from 1961 - 2013 are compiled using the main Glasgow Weather station based in Bishopton. Data is collected from numerous weather stations including those based in Glasgow. Last updated 01/07/2013. 'Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0' Licence: None
The wettest months in the United Kingdom tend to be at the start and end of the year. In the period of consideration, the greatest measurement of rainfall was nearly 217 millimeters, recorded in December 2015. The lowest level of rainfall was recorded in April 2021, at 20.6 millimeters. Rainy days The British Isles are known for their wet weather, and in 2024 there were approximately 164 rain days in the United Kingdom. A rainday is when more than one millimeter of rain falls within a day. Over the past 30 years, the greatest number of rain days was recorded in the year 2000. In that year, the average annual rainfall in the UK amounted to 1,242.1 millimeters. Climate change According to the Met Office, climate change in the United Kingdom has resulted in the weather getting warmer and wetter. In 2022, the annual average temperature in the country reached a new record high, surpassing 10 degrees Celsius for the first time. This represented an increase of nearly two degrees Celsius when compared to the annual average temperature recorded in 1910. In a recent survey conducted amongst UK residents, almost 80 percent of respondents had concerns about climate change.
The amount of monthly rainfall in Northern Ireland varies from year to year. During the period in consideration, the lowest rainfall levels were recorded in April 2021 at just **** millimeters. Meanwhile, the most rainfall occurred in February 2020, when ***** millimeters fell. In that same month, there were **** rain days recorded, an unusually high number for February. A rain day is when there is a total of 1 mm or more of rain in a day. Seasonal rainfallSince 2010,********has been on average the wettest season in Northern Ireland. In 2023, however, ****** was the wettest season, with nearly *** mm of rainfall. That year, winter was the driest season, with *** mm of rainfall. Regional rainfallWhen compared to the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland receives less rain than both Scotland and Wales, but more than England. In 2024, the country experienced****** mm of rainfall. In comparison, Scotland and Wales received ***** and ******mm, respectively. This is due to the Scottish Highlands high levels of rain and Wales’ location in comparison to the Atlantic Ocean.
Open Government Licence 3.0http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
License information was derived automatically
HadUK-Grid is a collection of gridded climate variables derived from the network of UK land surface observations. The data have been interpolated from meteorological station data onto a uniform grid to provide complete and consistent coverage across the UK. The dataset at 25 km resolution is derived from the associated 1 km x 1 km resolution to allow for comparison to data from UKCP18 climate projections. The dataset spans the period from 1836 to 2024, but the start time is dependent on climate variable and temporal resolution.
The gridded data are produced for daily, monthly, seasonal and annual timescales, as well as long term averages for a set of climatological reference periods. Variables include air temperature (maximum, minimum and mean), precipitation, sunshine, mean sea level pressure, wind speed, relative humidity, vapour pressure, days of snow lying, and days of ground frost.
This data set supersedes the previous versions of this dataset which also superseded UKCP09 gridded observations. Subsequent versions may be released in due course and will follow the version numbering as outlined by Hollis et al. (2019, see linked documentation).
The changes for v1.3.1.ceda HadUK-Grid datasets are as follows:
Changes to the dataset * Added data for calendar year 2024 * Extended the daily temperature grids back to 1931
Changes to the input data * Incorporated additional daily rainfall data for 60 sites in Scotland, 1922-45 * Incorporated additional monthly rainfall data for two sites - Westonbirt (1880-1951) & Ackworth School (1852-53) * Fixed a 1-day offset for sunshine duration values for six stations between 1971 and 1993 * Corrected the daily rainfall data for Macclesfield, 1958-60 (the values had been stored in the wrong units) * Improved the quality control of the most recent three months of rainfall data (Oct-Dec 2024) * Removed Corpach from the wind speed grids (the station is poorly modelled - this only affects 14 months) * Reviewed the quality control flags that had been applied automatically to historical air and grass minimum temperature data. In many cases it was possible to remove the flags and this has allowed us to incorporate additional data into the grids for 1961-1997 for these variables. * Improved the business logic relating to data completeness. This affects monthly wind speed and has allowed us to re-introduce some of the data that were excluded in the previous release.
The primary purpose of these data are to facilitate monitoring of UK climate and research into climate change, impacts and adaptation. The datasets have been created by the Met Office with financial support from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in order to support the Public Weather Service Customer Group (PWSCG), the Hadley Centre Climate Programme, and the UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) project. The output from a number of data recovery activities relating to 19th and early 20th Century data have been used in the creation of this dataset, these activities were supported by: the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme; the Natural Environment Research Council project "Analysis of historic drought and water scarcity in the UK"; the UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund UK Climate Resilience programme; The UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Public Engagement programme; the National Centre for Atmospheric Science; National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the NERC GloSAT project; and the contribution of many thousands of public volunteers. The dataset is provided under Open Government Licence.
There were around 15 rainy days in the United Kingdom in July 2024. A rainday is when one millimeter or more of rain occurs in a day. The highest number of rain days was recorded in December 2015, at 22.2 The fourth quarter was the wettestThe wettest periods of the year tend to be the start and the end. In 2023, the fourth quarter was the wettest, with an average of 419 mm of rainfall. October and December of that year recorded the highest monthly rainfall levels at 177 and 189 mm, respectively. Regional weatherDue to the United Kingdom’s geographical location and landscape, weather conditions can vary greatly. Scotland is, on average, the wettest country. Most rainfall is concentrated in the Scottish Highlands, as precipitation often occurs in mountainous regions. As rainfall comes in from the Atlantic, the northern and western parts of the UK are most susceptible to precipitation. This explains why England is the driest of all the regions, as rain deposits reduce as they move east.
Open Government Licence 3.0http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
License information was derived automatically
HadUK-Grid is a collection of gridded climate variables derived from the network of UK land surface observations. The data have been interpolated from meteorological station data onto a uniform grid to provide complete and consistent coverage across the UK. The datasets cover the UK at 1 km x 1 km resolution. These 1 km x 1 km data have been used to provide a range of other resolutions and across countries, administrative regions and river basins to allow for comparison to data from UKCP18 climate projections. The dataset spans the period from 1836 to 2024, but the start time is dependent on climate variable and temporal resolution.
The gridded data are produced for daily, monthly, seasonal and annual timescales, as well as long term averages for a set of climatological reference periods. Variables include air temperature (maximum, minimum and mean), precipitation, sunshine, mean sea level pressure, wind speed, relative humidity, vapour pressure, days of snow lying, and days of ground frost.
This data set supersedes the previous versions of this dataset which also superseded UKCP09 gridded observations. Subsequent versions may be released in due course and will follow the version numbering as outlined by Hollis et al. (2019, see linked documentation).
The changes for v1.3.1.ceda HadUK-Grid datasets are as follows:
Changes to the dataset * Added data for calendar year 2024 * Extended the daily temperature grids back to 1931
Changes to the input data * Incorporated additional daily rainfall data for 60 sites in Scotland, 1922-45 * Incorporated additional monthly rainfall data for two sites - Westonbirt (1880-1951) & Ackworth School (1852-53) * Fixed a 1-day offset for sunshine duration values for six stations between 1971 and 1993 * Corrected the daily rainfall data for Macclesfield, 1958-60 (the values had been stored in the wrong units) * Improved the quality control of the most recent three months of rainfall data (Oct-Dec 2024) * Removed Corpach from the wind speed grids (the station is poorly modelled - this only affects 14 months) * Reviewed the quality control flags that had been applied automatically to historical air and grass minimum temperature data. In many cases it was possible to remove the flags and this has allowed us to incorporate additional data into the grids for 1961-1997 for these variables. * Improved the business logic relating to data completeness. This affects monthly wind speed and has allowed us to re-introduce some of the data that were excluded in the previous release.
The primary purpose of these data are to facilitate monitoring of UK climate and research into climate change, impacts and adaptation. The datasets have been created by the Met Office with financial support from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in order to support the Public Weather Service Customer Group (PWSCG), the Hadley Centre Climate Programme, and the UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) project. The output from a number of data recovery activities relating to 19th and early 20th Century data have been used in the creation of this dataset, these activities were supported by: the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme; the Natural Environment Research Council project "Analysis of historic drought and water scarcity in the UK"; the UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund UK Climate Resilience programme; The UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Public Engagement programme; the National Centre for Atmospheric Science; National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the NERC GloSAT project; and the contribution of many thousands of public volunteers. The dataset is provided under Open Government Licence.
Open Government Licence 3.0http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
License information was derived automatically
HadUK-Grid is a collection of gridded climate variables derived from the network of UK land surface observations. The data have been interpolated from meteorological station data onto a uniform grid to provide complete and consistent coverage across the UK. The dataset at 5 km resolution is derived from the associated 1 km x 1 km resolution to allow for comparison to data from UKCP18 climate projections. The dataset spans the period from 1836 to 2024, but the start time is dependent on climate variable and temporal resolution.
The gridded data are produced for daily, monthly, seasonal and annual timescales, as well as long term averages for a set of climatological reference periods. Variables include air temperature (maximum, minimum and mean), precipitation, sunshine, mean sea level pressure, wind speed, relative humidity, vapour pressure, days of snow lying, and days of ground frost.
This data set supersedes the previous versions of this dataset which also superseded UKCP09 gridded observations. Subsequent versions may be released in due course and will follow the version numbering as outlined by Hollis et al. (2019, see linked documentation).
The changes for v1.3.1.ceda HadUK-Grid datasets are as follows:
Changes to the dataset * Added data for calendar year 2024 * Extended the daily temperature grids back to 1931
Changes to the input data * Incorporated additional daily rainfall data for 60 sites in Scotland, 1922-45 * Incorporated additional monthly rainfall data for two sites - Westonbirt (1880-1951) & Ackworth School (1852-53) * Fixed a 1-day offset for sunshine duration values for six stations between 1971 and 1993 * Corrected the daily rainfall data for Macclesfield, 1958-60 (the values had been stored in the wrong units) * Improved the quality control of the most recent three months of rainfall data (Oct-Dec 2024) * Removed Corpach from the wind speed grids (the station is poorly modelled - this only affects 14 months) * Reviewed the quality control flags that had been applied automatically to historical air and grass minimum temperature data. In many cases it was possible to remove the flags and this has allowed us to incorporate additional data into the grids for 1961-1997 for these variables. * Improved the business logic relating to data completeness. This affects monthly wind speed and has allowed us to re-introduce some of the data that were excluded in the previous release.
The primary purpose of these data are to facilitate monitoring of UK climate and research into climate change, impacts and adaptation. The datasets have been created by the Met Office with financial support from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in order to support the Public Weather Service Customer Group (PWSCG), the Hadley Centre Climate Programme, and the UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) project. The output from a number of data recovery activities relating to 19th and early 20th Century data have been used in the creation of this dataset, these activities were supported by: the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme; the Natural Environment Research Council project "Analysis of historic drought and water scarcity in the UK"; the UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund UK Climate Resilience programme; The UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Public Engagement programme; the National Centre for Atmospheric Science; National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the NERC GloSAT project; and the contribution of many thousands of public volunteers. The dataset is provided under Open Government Licence.
The United Kingdom experienced an average of 1,242.1 millimeters of rainfall in 2024, a decrease of 5.8 percent in comparison to the previous year. While 2024 saw substantial rainfall, it did not surpass the thus-far peak of the century, with 1,373 millimeters of rain recorded in 2000. Regional variations and seasonal patterns Rainfall distribution across the UK is far from uniform, with Scotland and Wales consistently receiving the highest annual precipitation. In 2024, they recorded an average of 1,571.7 millimeters and 1,600.8 millimeters, respectively, significantly above the UK’s average. This disparity is largely due to both countries’ mountainous terrain, which is more susceptible to Atlantic weather systems. Seasonally, the wettest months in the UK typically occur in the winter, with the highest precipitation levels seen between November and February. Climate change impact on UK weather Climate change is influencing UK weather patterns, leading to warmer and wetter conditions overall. While annual rainfall fluctuates, there is a trend towards more extreme weather events. For example, 2020 and 2022 saw rain deviations from the long-term mean in the UK of more than 100 millimeters in February. As weather patterns continue to evolve, monitoring rainfall trends remains crucial for understanding and adapting to a changing climate.
Scotland is the country in the United Kingdom with the highest rainfall on average, although Wales recorded higher rainfall in 2023, with an average of 1,716 millimeters. On the other hand, England generally receives the least rainfall across the UK. Between 2014 and 2023, precipitation in the UK was approximately nine percent higher than in the period between 1961 and 1990. In addition to an increase in rainfall, average annual temperatures have also risen over the same period. Altogether, the weather in the United Kingdom is getting hotter and wetter.
Open Government Licence 3.0http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
License information was derived automatically
HadUK-Grid is a collection of gridded climate variables derived from the network of UK land surface observations. The data have been interpolated from meteorological station data onto a uniform grid to provide complete and consistent coverage across the UK. The dataset at 60 km resolution is derived from the associated 1 km x 1 km resolution to allow for comparison to data from UKCP18 climate projections. The dataset spans the period from 1836 to 2024, but the start time is dependent on climate variable and temporal resolution.
The gridded data are produced for daily, monthly, seasonal and annual timescales, as well as long term averages for a set of climatological reference periods. Variables include air temperature (maximum, minimum and mean), precipitation, sunshine, mean sea level pressure, wind speed, relative humidity, vapour pressure, days of snow lying, and days of ground frost.
This data set supersedes the previous versions of this dataset which also superseded UKCP09 gridded observations. Subsequent versions may be released in due course and will follow the version numbering as outlined by Hollis et al. (2019, see linked documentation).
The changes for v1.3.1.ceda HadUK-Grid datasets are as follows:
Changes to the dataset * Added data for calendar year 2024 * Extended the daily temperature grids back to 1931
Changes to the input data * Incorporated additional daily rainfall data for 60 sites in Scotland, 1922-45 * Incorporated additional monthly rainfall data for two sites - Westonbirt (1880-1951) & Ackworth School (1852-53) * Fixed a 1-day offset for sunshine duration values for six stations between 1971 and 1993 * Corrected the daily rainfall data for Macclesfield, 1958-60 (the values had been stored in the wrong units) * Improved the quality control of the most recent three months of rainfall data (Oct-Dec 2024) * Removed Corpach from the wind speed grids (the station is poorly modelled - this only affects 14 months) * Reviewed the quality control flags that had been applied automatically to historical air and grass minimum temperature data. In many cases it was possible to remove the flags and this has allowed us to incorporate additional data into the grids for 1961-1997 for these variables. * Improved the business logic relating to data completeness. This affects monthly wind speed and has allowed us to re-introduce some of the data that were excluded in the previous release.
The primary purpose of these data are to facilitate monitoring of UK climate and research into climate change, impacts and adaptation. The datasets have been created by the Met Office with financial support from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in order to support the Public Weather Service Customer Group (PWSCG), the Hadley Centre Climate Programme, and the UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) project. The output from a number of data recovery activities relating to 19th and early 20th Century data have been used in the creation of this dataset, these activities were supported by: the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme; the Natural Environment Research Council project "Analysis of historic drought and water scarcity in the UK"; the UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund UK Climate Resilience programme; The UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Public Engagement programme; the National Centre for Atmospheric Science; National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the NERC GloSAT project; and the contribution of many thousands of public volunteers. The dataset is provided under Open Government Licence.
The annual number of rain days in the UK has fluctuated over the past three decades. In 2024, there were *** days in which * mm or more of rain fell. The year with the greatest number of rain days was 2000 when ***** days had at least * mm of rain. England is the driest country in the UK England is on average the driest country in the United Kingdom. In 2024, the country recorded an annual rainfall of **** mm. After England, Northern Ireland is the country that receives the least amount of rainfall across the UK. Wettest regions in Britain Despite Cardiff being the wettest city in the United Kingdom according to the Met Office, Scotland had received on average the largest volume of annual rainfall in the past 10 years. The northern and western regions of the UK – where rainfall is arriving from the Atlantic – tend to be the wettest in the country.
Open Government Licence 3.0http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
License information was derived automatically
HadUK-Grid is a collection of gridded climate variables derived from the network of UK land surface observations. The data have been interpolated from meteorological station data onto a uniform grid to provide complete and consistent coverage across the UK. These data at 1 km resolution have been averaged across a set of discrete geographies defining UK administrative regions consistent with data from UKCP18 climate projections. The dataset spans the period from 1836 to 2023 but the start time is dependent on climate variable and temporal resolution.
The gridded data are produced for daily, monthly, seasonal and annual timescales, as well as long term averages for a set of climatological reference periods. Variables include air temperature (maximum, minimum and mean), precipitation, sunshine, mean sea level pressure, wind speed, relative humidity, vapour pressure, days of snow lying, and days of ground frost.
This data set supersedes the previous versions of this dataset which also superseded UKCP09 gridded observations. Subsequent versions may be released in due course and will follow the version numbering as outlined by Hollis et al. (2019, see linked documentation).
The changes for v1.3.1.ceda HadUK-Grid datasets are as follows:
Changes to the dataset * Added data for calendar year 2024 * Extended the daily temperature grids back to 1931
Changes to the input data * Incorporated additional daily rainfall data for 60 sites in Scotland, 1922-45 * Incorporated additional monthly rainfall data for two sites - Westonbirt (1880-1951) & Ackworth School (1852-53) * Fixed a 1-day offset for sunshine duration values for six stations between 1971 and 1993 * Corrected the daily rainfall data for Macclesfield, 1958-60 (the values had been stored in the wrong units) * Improved the quality control of the most recent three months of rainfall data (Oct-Dec 2024) * Removed Corpach from the wind speed grids (the station is poorly modelled - this only affects 14 months) * Reviewed the quality control flags that had been applied automatically to historical air and grass minimum temperature data. In many cases it was possible to remove the flags and this has allowed us to incorporate additional data into the grids for 1961-1997 for these variables. * Improved the business logic relating to data completeness. This affects monthly wind speed and has allowed us to re-introduce some of the data that were excluded in the previous release.
The primary purpose of these data are to facilitate monitoring of UK climate and research into climate change, impacts and adaptation. The datasets have been created by the Met Office with financial support from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in order to support the Public Weather Service Customer Group (PWSCG), the Hadley Centre Climate Programme, and the UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) project. The output from a number of data recovery activities relating to 19th and early 20th Century data have been used in the creation of this dataset, these activities were supported by: the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme; the Natural Environment Research Council project "Analysis of historic drought and water scarcity in the UK"; the UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund UK Climate Resilience programme; The UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Public Engagement programme; the National Centre for Atmospheric Science; National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the NERC GloSAT project; and the contribution of many thousands of public volunteers. The dataset is provided under Open Government Licence.
The monthly mean air temperature in Scotland measured *** degrees Celsius in April 2025. During the period in consideration, monthly mean air temperatures peaked in July 2021 at **** degrees Celsius.
The highest average temperature recorded in 2024 until November was in August, at 16.8 degrees Celsius. Since 2015, the highest average daily temperature in the UK was registered in July 2018, at 18.7 degrees Celsius. The summer of 2018 was the joint hottest since institutions began recording temperatures in 1910. One noticeable anomaly during this period was in December 2015, when the average daily temperature reached 9.5 degrees Celsius. This month also experienced the highest monthly rainfall in the UK since before 2014, with England, Wales, and Scotland suffering widespread flooding. Daily hours of sunshine Unsurprisingly, the heat wave that spread across the British Isles in 2018 was the result of particularly sunny weather. July 2018 saw an average of 8.7 daily sun hours in the United Kingdom. This was more hours of sun than was recorded in July 2024, which only saw 5.8 hours of sun. Temperatures are on the rise Since the 1960s, there has been an increase in regional temperatures across the UK. Between 1961 and 1990, temperatures in England averaged nine degrees Celsius, and from 2013 to 2022, average temperatures in the country had increased to 10.3 degrees Celsius. Due to its relatively southern location, England continues to rank as the warmest country in the UK.
During the period in consideration, the highest amount of rainfall in Scotland was recorded in December 2015 at ***** millimeters. In comparison, rainfall in December 2024 amounted to ***** millimeters. The driest month during this period was April 2020, when just **** millimeters of rain fell. Annual rainfall The annual rainfall in Scotland has fluctuated since 1994, with **** being the wettest year. That year, the country recorded approximately ***** mm of rain. On average, Scotland receives the highest annual volume of rain in the United Kingdom. This is mostly due to its mountainous landscape in the north. Wet seasons Whilst it rains all year round in Scotland, the wettest periods are ****************r. In 2014, 2016 and 2020 ****** was by far the wettest season, with volumes reaching *** millimeters in 2016. However, the wettest season in 2019 was ******.