The traditional British culture of discussing weather forecasts as a unifying activity is reportedly changing. Weather forecasters are finding it increasingly difficult to describe daily consequences of climate transformation, with presentations of sunshine and high temperatures varying between welcome and oppressive, or miraculous and unbearable.
This shift is influenced by the climate crisis, which has led to wildly differing effects across different areas and seasons. For example, parts of western Scotland have experienced a wetter than usual summer this year, while southern England has been described as desert-like.
According to a 2025 academic paper, analysis of heatwave articles in the national press showed a shift from balanced positive and negative coverage before 2000, to a dominance of 'Apocalyptic genre' articles from 2015. Despite this, a 'Romantic genre' of celebratory coverage for hot weather continues.
Weather forecasters have faced increased scrutiny, with reports of 'unprecedented levels of trolling' during the 2022 record heat. Disagreeing with forecasters expressing alarm about climate change has become more mainstream, with some describing advice on staying cool as 'pandering to the 'woke brigade''.
Mike Kendon, a Met Office scientist, stated last month that the climate of the 20th century 'has now gone'. He noted that this year's weather has been more extreme, with a key feature being the weather getting stuck in one state for months, a characteristic of harsh continental climates.