Weather experts say temperatures and sunshine are a ‘double record breaker’
The first six months of the year are heading into the record books having broken historical climate records, according to the Met Office. It says the country’s experienced an ‘unprecedented season of warmth and sunshine.’
All the country’s four nations have recorded their warmest spring for mean temperature since the series began in 1884 – surpassing the previous record from 2024.
The start of the year saw us experience the sunniest spring on record for the UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. England recorded its second sunniest spring since sunshine records began in 1910.
To put this into context, Spring 2025 is now the fourth sunniest season overall for the UK, with only three summers sunnier since 1910.
‘The UK’s climate continues to change. What’s particularly notable about Spring 2025 is the combination of record warmth and sunshine, alongside very low rainfall,’ explains Emily Carlisle, Met Office Scientist.
‘This spring shows some of the changes we’re seeing in our weather patterns, with more extreme conditions, including prolonged dry, sunny weather, becoming more frequent.’
‘The data clearly shows that recent decades have been warmer, sunnier, and often drier than the 20th century average, although natural variation will continue to play a role in the UK’s weather.’
Marine heatwave
This spring’s mean temperature of 9.5°C surpassed the long-term climatological average by 1.4°C – making it the warmest spring since the series began in 1884.
The Met Office adds that eight of the ten warmest UK springs have occurred since the year 2000 – and the three warmest springs have all occurred since 2017.
All four nations also recorded their highest spring mean temperature, with Northern Ireland and Scotland recording notably high temperatures, up 1.6°C on average.
For Northern Ireland, this meant surpassing the previous long-standing warmest average spring temperature, set back in 1893.
Scientists add that the unusual warmth hasn’t been limited to land. Waters around the UK have experienced a marine heatwave – with sea surface temperatures reaching record highs for April and May.
Some areas have been as much as 4°C warmer than usual, creating unprecedented conditions in our coastal waters.
Breaktime News recently reported on the launch of The Met Office’s ‘Weather Ready’ campaign.
