UKCP09: 1961-1990 Baseline Sunshine Duration Averages for UK Regions

UK regional long-term averages for sunshine duration (hours per day) based on the 1961-1990 climate baseline. The Met Office produced these values for 14 administrative regions and 23 river basins, averaging 5 x 5 km grid cell data within each region. Data is provided as space-delimited text files, with financial support from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal sunshine patterns across UK administrative regions based on monthly averages.
• Comparing historical climate baselines between different UK river basins.
• Validating or calibrating climate models using the 1961-1990 benchmark period.
• Assessing regional climate variability for environmental planning based on the gridded average data.

Strengths

• Covers a 30-year climate baseline period (1961-1990).
• Provides data for two distinct geographic groupings: 14 administrative regions and 23 river basins.
• Values are derived from averaging 5 x 5 km grid cell data, suggesting a standardized spatial method.

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.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Met Office, with support from the UK 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 13:31:06.614205; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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