Our winters are already getting warmer and wetter.
According to the Met Office, UK winters have already warmed by 1C (1.8F) since the 1950s due to human-induced global warming.
Six of the ten warmest winters on record have occurred since the year 2000, with only one 21st century winter (2009/2010) featuring in the top ten coldest.
This means we are seeing less snow and fewer frosts – in fact we now get around four weeks less ground frost than we did half a century ago.
However, one thing we are seeing more of is rain.
Out of nearly 260 years of records, six out of the ten wettest winter half-years – the period from October to March – have been since the year 2000.
These changes are predicted to continue as the world continues to warm.
In a situation where high levels of greenhouse gas emissions continue, the Met Office expects winters to be between 1 and 4.5C (1.8-8.1F) warmer than they were in 1990 – and up to 30% wetter.
That is because a warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture, so when rain comes it will be heavier and more intense.
