2025 was UK’s warmest and sunniest year on record, says Met Office | UK weather
The Met Office has confirmed that 2025 is the hottest and sunniest year on record in the UK.
The three hottest years on record in the UK have occurred this decade, and meteorologists say this is evidence that the climate is changing rapidly. The 10 hottest years all occurred in the last two decades.
The year 2025 topped the list with an average temperature of 10.09°C, while 2022 and 2023 were the second and third warmest years since records began in 1884. It is only the second time the average temperature has exceeded 10°C since the 19th century.
Dr Mark McCarthy, head of climate attribution at the Met Office, said: “2025 is the hottest year on record for the UK, surpassing the previous record set in 2022 in a series dating back to 1884. “We are increasingly seeing UK temperatures break new ground in our changing climate, as evidenced by the new record for the highest average temperature ever recorded in the UK, just three years after the last record.
“This very warm year is consistent with the expected consequences of human-induced climate change. While this does not mean that every year will be the warmest on record, it is clear from our weather observations and climate models that human-induced global warming is affecting the UK’s climate.”
The spring and summer months of 2025 were hot due to multiple heat waves, but the hottest day on record is still July 19, 2022, when temperatures exceeded 40C.
Met Office scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said: “Many people will remember the long, warm spring and summer of 2025, but what stood out this year was that there were consistent temperatures throughout the year, with every month except January and September being warmer than average.
“In the six months from March to August, each month was at least 1 degree Celsius above the 1991-2020 average. This resulted in the warmest spring and hottest summer we have seen in this series.
“Meteorologically, the heat is largely due to persistent high pressure systems around the UK, bringing above-average sea temperatures as well as long periods of dry and sunny conditions. These factors have kept temperatures consistently higher than normal for much of the year.”
2025 was also the sunniest year on record dating back to 1910, with 1,648.5 hours of sunshine recorded across the UK; this was 61.4 hours more than the previous record set in 2003.
Above-average sunshine hours have boosted the UK’s solar farms. This year more than 6% of the UK’s annual energy needs were met by solar energy; This is an increase of more than 50% over recent years.
Overall rainfall totals were below average, with some areas experiencing record-low rainfall levels.
