UK winter nowhere near a record breaker despite relentless rain and storms

Our winters are already getting warmer and rainier.

According to the Met Office, winters in the UK have warmed by 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees) since the 1950s due to human-caused global warming.

Six of the ten warmest winters on record have occurred since 2000; Only one 21st century winter (2009/2010) is included in the ten coldest winters.

This means we see less snow and less frost; In fact, we now experience about four fewer weeks of frost than we did half a century ago.

But what we see more often is rain.

From nearly 260 years of records, six of the ten wettest winter semesters (October through March) have been since 2000.

These changes are predicted to continue as the Earth continues to warm.

With high levels of greenhouse gas emissions continuing, the Met Office expects winters to be between 1 and 4.5°C (1.8-8.1°F) warmer and up to 30% wetter than in 1990.

This is because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, so when rain comes it will be heavier and denser.