What does the latest research show about the severity and frequency of heatwaves in the United Kingdom?  Introduction  The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) defines a heatwave as:  ‘A period of marked unusual hot weather over a region persisting for at least three consecutive days during the warm period of the year based on local climatological […]

In response to this winter’s severe floods there have been some alarming claims about climate change and the impact it may be having on flooding throughout Britain.  But what does the evidence actually show?  Recent intense rainfall Rainfall in February 2020 was the heaviest February rainfall on record for the UK as a whole, but […]

Are droughts getting worse globally? The IPCC says it is hard to say (‘low confidence’) whether global drought has become better or worse since 1950. Figures from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show no trend in the proportion of the globe in drought since 1950 (see Figure 1). Others have suggested a […]