Further reading
The datasets below are the observational and projected climate data used by the weather-generation workflow. They are listed here for anyone who needs to go to the source, reproduce the workflow, or substitute an equivalent.
Gridded observations
HadUK-Grid provides gridded rainfall and temperature data for the UK. It is the backbone of the observed record used by the weather generator, supplying daily rainfall and daily maximum and minimum temperature at 1 km and 5 km resolution.
Rain-gauge records
Hourly rain-gauge records are drawn from four organisations, each covering its own part of the UK:
| Organisation | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Environment Agency | EA |
| Natural Resources Wales | NRW |
| Scottish Environment Protection Agency | SEPA |
| Met Office Integrated Data Archive System | MIDAS |
These records are quality controlled before they are used.
Secondary weather variables
MIDAS also supplies the secondary variables the generator draws on: windspeed, vapour pressure and sunshine duration, at daily timescales.
Climate projections
The UK Climate Projections 2018 (UKCP18) Convection-Permitting Model dataset supplies the future signal. It is available through the CEDA archive, the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis.
Substituting a source
The IMP is designed so components can be swapped for equivalents an organisation already trusts. If you hold your own quality-controlled rainfall records or an alternative projection set, they can take the place of the sources above, provided they supply the same variables at a comparable resolution. See Adaptation measures for the general principle.