Local climate impact on Doncaster

Doncaster Council has used the Local Climate Impact Profile (LCLIP) to identify the main weather events which have affected the borough and shows the climate trends such as temperature, rainfall etc.

An LCLIP is a tool which has been developed for local authorities to enable them to better understand the impact and consequences of extreme weather on their services, the environment and communities.

The aim of the LCLIP is to raise awareness of the council’s approach and response to such extreme events and to identify what additional support may be needed and establish what other actions may need to be undertaken to ensure service delivery in the future.

Weather trends

A long term study as well as interviews with key partners and council officers from various service areas has found that in Doncaster:

• the climate is changing faster now than it has at any time over the past 100 years
• the annual average temperature now stands at 10.5°C. It has increased by 1°C since 1985 - fluctuation in the previous 75 years was limited to +/- 0.2°C
• summer temperatures are increasing at a faster rate than winter temperatures; however, both are getting warmer.  Since 1985 we have experienced an increase in the number of annual sunshine hours. According to the LCIP that trend will continue with summer temperatures regularly reaching 30°C and we can expect more dry spells for longer periods
• rainfall has also increased significantly since 1990. This fact, coupled with the development of land on flood plains, blocked drainage and the ‘run-off’ of water, poses a significant future flood risk to the borough

Extreme weather impacts

Doncaster’s ten-year weather timeline shows that ‘extreme events’ have more than doubled from 2006 onwards. 

Flooding, snow and very cold weather have had a major impact on the road network and the ability of services to deliver.

The majority of council services and partner organisations have adapted to these major events, developing alternative methods of communication and action plans.