UKCP09: 1961-1990 Baseline Growing Degree Days for UK Regions

Long-term climate baseline averages for growing degree days across 14 UK administrative regions and 23 river basins. The data was produced by the Met Office with support from Defra and UKCIP, representing annual averages derived from 5 x 5 km grid cells. Each regional value is an average of the underlying grid cells for the 1961-1990 reference period.

Use Cases

• Modeling historical crop growth potential based on regional growing degree day averages.
• Analyzing long-term climate baselines for agricultural planning based on the 1961-1990 reference period.
• Comparing climatic conditions across UK administrative regions and river basins using spatially averaged data.

Strengths

• Covers 14 administrative regions and 23 river basins for comprehensive spatial comparison.
• Based on a defined 30-year climate baseline (1961-1990) for stable reference.
• Data is derived from 5 x 5 km grid cells, providing a consistent spatial foundation.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Met Office, UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Collection Method

Averaging of 5 x 5 km grid cell values within defined regional boundaries.

Time Range

1961-1990

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:32:34.180154; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United Kingdom (14 administrative regions, 23 river basins)