UKCP09: UK Regional Monthly Mean Cloud Cover Averages for 1961-1990 Baseline

UKCP09 provides long-term average monthly mean cloud cover percentages for the 1961-1990 climate baseline. The data is aggregated for 14 UK administrative regions and 23 river basins, with each regional value calculated as an average of underlying 5 x 5 km grid cells. The dataset was created with financial support from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and is promoted by the UK Climate Impacts Programme.

Use Cases

• Analyze seasonal cloud cover variability based on monthly averages for UK regions.
• Compare historical climate baselines between administrative regions and river basins.
• Model long-term climate trends using the 30-year 1961-1990 reference period.

Strengths

• Data is based on a standardized 30-year climate baseline period (1961-1990).
• Provides regional aggregation for 14 administrative regions and 23 river basins.
• Values are derived from a high-resolution underlying 5 x 5 km grid.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

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 that fall within defined regional boundaries.

Time Range

1961-1990 baseline averages.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:32:05.010647; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United Kingdom (14 administrative regions, 23 river basins).