The UK experienced its warmest year on record in 2025, the Met Office confirmed. With a mean temperature of 10.09C, the year surpassed the previous record of 10.03C set just three years earlier in 2022. The nation also recorded its sunniest year ever, making 2025 a "double record-breaker."
The data underscores an accelerating warming trend. All of the UK's top 10 warmest years have occurred within the past two decades. Four of the five hottest years have been recorded in the current decade alone.
Climate change impact
Dr Mark McCarthy, head of climate attribution at the Met Office, directly linked the record to human activity. «We're increasingly seeing UK temperatures break new ground in our changing climate, as demonstrated by a new highest UK mean temperature record just three years after the last record,» he said.
McCarthy emphasized the long-term pattern. «This very warm year is in line with expected consequences of human-induced climate change,» he explained. «Although it doesn't mean every year will be the warmest on record, it is clear from our weather observations and climate models that human-induced global warming is impacting the UK's climate.»
Sunshine record
The year 2025 also broke the UK's sunshine record with 1,648.5 hours of sun. This exceeded the previous record of 1,587.1 hours set in 2003 by more than 61 hours.
The Met Office's comprehensive temperature records date back to 1884, providing over 140 years of data for comparison.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
