Central England Temperature Records From 1659

Monthly mean temperature readings for Central England extend back to January 1659, creating one of the world's longest instrumental climate records. Daily mean temperatures are also available from 1772 onward. The series was compiled by the U.K. Meteorological Office and Phil Jones at the University of East Anglia, with data available into 1999.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term warming trends by calculating anomalies from the monthly mean temperature series starting in 1659.
• Compare seasonal temperature patterns, such as summer heat or winter cold spells, across centuries using the daily mean data from 1772.
• Validate climate model hindcasts for the Central England region against the two provided monthly temperature series.
• Study the frequency and intensity of extreme temperature events in the historical record using daily mean values.

Strengths

• Monthly records span over 336 years from 1659 to 1995.
• Provides daily resolution data for over 223 years from 1772.
• Includes two independently compiled monthly temperature series for comparison.

Limitations

• Data ends in 1995/1999, lacking recent decades critical for contemporary climate change analysis.
• Potential unresolved errors exist, as noted differences between the two monthly series have an unknown source.
• Spatial coverage is limited to Central England, not representative of global or broader regional climates.

Provenance

Source

U.K. Meteorological Office and Phil Jones at the University of East Anglia.

Collection Method

Instrumental temperature readings compiled into monthly and daily mean series.

Time Range

Monthly: January 1659 to 1999. Daily: January 1772 to 1999.

Freshness

Data is historical, with the last update recorded in August 1995.

Geography

Central England.