Central England temperature

The Central England Temperature (CET) record is a meteorological dataset originally published by Professor Gordon Manley in 1953 and subsequently extended and updated in 1974, following many decades of work.

The monthly mean surface air temperatures, for the Midlands region of England, are given (in degrees Celsius) from the year 1659 to the present.

This record represents the longest series of monthly temperature observations in existence.

This reflects the number, accuracy, reliability and geographical spread of the temperature records that were available for the years in question.

These problems account for the lower precision to which the early monthly means were quoted by Manley.