UKCP09: 5km Gridded Long-Term Average Monthly Precipitation for the UK

UKCP09 provides 5 km resolution gridded data for monthly average precipitation in millimeters. The dataset contains 12 files, one for each month, representing the 1961-1990 average period. It was created with support from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and is promoted by the UK Climate Impacts Programme.

Use Cases

• Modeling baseline hydrological conditions based on the 1961-1990 long-term average period
• Analyzing spatial precipitation patterns across the UK based on the 5 km gridded data
• Comparing historical monthly precipitation averages for climate impact studies
• Validating climate models using the gridded historical average data

Strengths

• Data represents a 30-year long-term average period (1961-1990) for stability.
• Provides spatial coverage at a 5 km resolution across the UK.
• Includes 12 distinct monthly average files for temporal analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Freshness should be verified; the baseline period is historical (1961-1990).
• Row count and file sizes are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Met Office (UK), with support from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Collection Method

Likely derived from meteorological station observations interpolated to a 5 km grid.

Time Range

1961-1990 (average period).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:31:46.229450; the underlying data represents a historical average.

Geography

United Kingdom, gridded at 5 km resolution.