Mildest December since UK records began means more rain – and more pain

Warmer temperatures, as seen in the UK, means more rainfall in wet regions, compounding probability of floods and extreme weather.

December is set to be Britain's mildest since records began in 1910, according to the Met Office. And not just a bit warmer - the December average for England has been 9.5C, which is more than 5C above the long-term average, and 2C higher than the previous record, in 1934. Wales and Northern Ireland are also likely to set new records while Scotland may fall just short.

For some parts of the UK - Cumbria, Lancashire and Wales - it will have been the rainiest December on record, but people who live there do not need to be told that. The two sets of statistics are connected, if only because the capacity of the air to hold moisture rises with each degree of temperature.