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UKCP09: Annual data sets
Annual gridded data sets at 5 x 5 km resolution are available for 12 variables. The list of variables and their definitions is given below.
Annual data sets
| Climate variable | Definition | First year | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating degree days | The day-by-day sum of the mean number of degrees by which the air temperature is less than a value of 15.5 °C (see FAQ 7 for further details). | 1961 | 2006 |
| Cooling degree days | The day-by-day sum of the mean number of degrees by which the air temperature is more than a value of 22 °C (see FAQ 7 for further details). | 1961 | 2006 |
| Growing degree days | The day-by-day sum of the mean number of degrees by which the air temperature is more than a value of 5.5 °C (see FAQ 7 for further details). | 1961 | 2006 |
| Extreme temperature range | Annual maximum temperature minus annual minimum temperature | 1961 | 2003 |
| Growing season length | Period bounded by daily mean temperature >5 °C for >5 consecutive days and daily mean temperature <5 °C for >5 consecutive days (after 1 July) | 1961 | 2003 |
| Summer 'heatwave' duration | Sum of days with daily maximum temperature more than 3 °C above 1961–90 daily normal for ≥5 consecutive days (May–Oct) | 1961 | 2003 |
| Winter 'heatwave' duration | As summer heat wave but for Nov–Apr | 1961 | 2003 |
| Summer 'cold wave' duration | Sum of days with daily minimum temperature more than 3 °C below 1961–90 daily normal for ≥5 consecutive days (May–Oct) | 1961 | 2003 |
| Winter 'cold wave' duration | As summer cold wave, but for Nov–Apr | 1961 | 2003 |
| Maximum number of consecutive dry days | Longest spell of consecutive days with precipitation ≤0.2 mm during the year | 1961 | 2004 |
| Greatest 5-day precipitation total | Greatest total precipitation amount (mm) for 5 consecutive days during the year | 1961 | 2004 |
| Rainfall intensity | Total precipitation on days with ≥1 mm divided by count of days with ≥1 mm during the year | 1961 | 2004 |
The annual data sets are available in two formats.
- A grid for each year covering the whole of the UK, downloadable as a single block for the whole period, as space-delimited text files
- As a time series of values by grid point, downloadable as a single comma-delimited text file covering the whole of the UK
Related internet links
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP)
The Met Office is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Register
In order to download the UKCP09 Gridded Observation Data Sets, you will need to register.
