What Our Very Rainy Weather Can Tell Us About Future Winters

If we have anything to say when we look back on this past winter, it will likely be that the weather was really, really, wet.

It’s been relentless, even by Britain’s standards.

In fact, according to the Met Office, this soggy weather has been record-breaking in some areas. The weather experts said: “North Wyke in Devon logged 40 consecutive wet days from 31 December 2025 to 8 February 2026.

“Cardinham (Bodmin) in Cornwall also reached 40 consecutive wet days over the same period, while Astwood Bank in Hereford and Worcester matched that 40‑day run from 31 December 2025 to 8 February 2026.”

Yikes.

And according to data from the University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory, January 2026 was the fourth-wettest in almost 120 years with total rainfall levels well above those expected at this time of year.

Will all winters be wetter from now on?

Of course, we’re all aware that climate change is something we now live alongside and that, over time, it is fundamentally impacting the weather. 

While terms like ‘global warming’ might have you thinking everything will get steadily warmer, it’s a little more complex than that when it comes to the UK’s winters.

The Met Office has predicted that by 2070, winters in the UK will be up to 30% wetter than they were in 1990 and that rainfall will be up to 25% more intense.

Our summers are expected to get drier overall with more heatwaves and droughts – but when it rains, it will be 20% more intense than it was in 1990.

The meteorological experts add: “In the future, we project the intensity of rain will increase. When we talk about intensity, we mean how heavy rainfall is when it occurs. In the summer, this could increase by up to 20%. In winter, it could increase by up to 25%.”

They also warn that a greater risk of flooding will have large impacts, both on the environment and in our daily lives.