Longest rain spell ever recorded as IPCC comes to campus

Rain has now fallen in Reading for 25 consecutive days - the longest unbroken spell of rainfall ever recorded at the University’s Atmospheric Observatory.

And with current forecasts suggesting more rain is on its way, we may yet see an entire month-long spell when rain has fallen every single day.

This means many of the world’s top climate scientists may endure a wet campus as they visit Reading to take part in important climate change research workshops hosted by the International Panel for Climate Change.

The closed workshops, held at the University of Reading in collaboration with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Met Office, will run from 10 to 12 February and will examine how to better include diverse knowledge in IPCC work and how artificial intelligence and machine learning can help climate scientists review huge amounts of research more efficiently.

Dr Jess Neumann, associate professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, said: “The weather we're experiencing right now in Reading is a stark reminder of why climate research is so important. Just last year we were worried about water availability following one of the hottest and driest summers on record. The miserable start to this year has brought weeks of unbroken rainfall. We're seeing exactly the kind of weather whiplash that climate projections have warned us to expect more frequently.

“It’s becoming increasingly hard to manage the rapid flips from drought conditions and hosepipe bans, to persistent rainfall and extensive flood risk from month to month. Climate change is only set to bring increasingly volatile weather that poses real challenges for communities, infrastructure and water management. Understanding and preparing for these rapid shifts between extremes is crucial for building resilience.

“These increasingly volatile weather patterns underscore why events like the upcoming IPCC workshops at Reading are so vital. As the UK experiences climate extremes first-hand, the world's leading climate scientists will be gathering to strengthen the very research and assessment processes that help us understand and respond to these changes.”

Fourth-wettest January on record

January 2026 was the fourth-wettest in almost 120 years, according to data from the Reading University Atmospheric Observatory, with total rainfall levels well above those expected at this time of year.

Dr Stephen Burt, from the University of Reading’s Department of Meteorology, said: “After what seems like weeks and weeks of unbroken rainfall, it is becoming harder to recall that 2025 was one of the sunniest and warmest on record in Reading, as well as the driest for 20 years.

“It has been an extraordinary about-turn since New Year. After a cold, dry and sunny first few days of 2026, rain has fallen on every day bar one in the 29 days since and including 6 January, 25 of which have been consecutive to date. This is the longest unbroken spell of days with rain since daily rainfall records at the university started in 1908, surpassing the previous record of 23 days set in December 1934 and equalled in January 1970.

“As well as the frequency, the amount of rainfall has been noteworthy. January's total precipitation - mostly rainfall, but a little snowfall early on - amounted to 121 mm, our fourth-wettest January in almost 120 years. Only January 1939, 1995 and 2014 were wetter.

“In the 29 days commencing 6 January, 135 mm has fallen, more than twice the normal expected for this period - already more than one-quarter of last year's entire total.

“With further rainfall expected over the coming week, the spell of consecutive days of rain may stretch to an entire month, far beyond any such spell previously recorded in Reading. Roll on spring!”

• Read more about the IPCC workshops at the University of Reading: Major IPCC workshops bring diverse climate voices to Reading 
• Sign up to watch a public lecture unpacking the IPCC on Monday, 9 February: Inside the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Dr Stephen Burt's new book on Reading's weather history, Reading Weather and Climate since 1831, will be published by the University of Reading Press on 3 March 2026.