UKCP09: 1961-1990 Baseline Averages for Maximum Consecutive Dry Days in UK Regions

UKCP09 provides long-term average values for the maximum number of consecutive dry days, calculated for the 1961-1990 climate baseline. The dataset, created with support from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), contains annual averages for 14 UK administrative regions and 23 river basins. Each regional value is an average of underlying 5 x 5 km grid cell values.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical drought frequency and duration based on the maximum consecutive dry days metric.
• Establish regional climate baselines for hydrological and agricultural modeling using the 1961-1990 averages.
• Compare dry spell characteristics between different UK administrative regions and river basins.
• Support climate impact assessments and adaptation planning using officially promoted UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) data.

Strengths

• Provides a defined 30-year climate baseline (1961-1990) for consistent historical comparison.
• Covers two distinct spatial frameworks: 14 administrative regions and 23 river basins.
• Data is derived from a 5 x 5 km resolution grid, suggesting a detailed underlying source.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Access requires registration on the Met Office website, adding a step to data acquisition.

Provenance

Source

Met Office, promoted by the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) as part of UK Climate Projections (UKCP09).

Collection Method

Regional values are averages of 5 x 5 km grid cell values falling within each region/basin.

Time Range

1961-1990 baseline period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:31:30.430773; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United Kingdom, specifically 14 administrative regions and 23 river basins.