UK Records Hottest And Sunniest Year Ever

Britain experienced its warmest and sunniest year on record in 2025, the Met Office has confirmed, underlining a clear shift in the nation’s climate. Temperatures were consistently high through much of the year, while sunshine hours reached levels not seen for more than a century. The UK’s average temperature for 2025 was 10.09°C, topping the long-running series that stretches back to 1884. It is only the second occasion since the 1800s that the national mean has exceeded 10°C. Notably, the three hottest years in UK history have all occurred in this decade, and every one of the top 10 warmest years has been recorded in the past 20 years. Met Office climate scientists say the pattern is what would be expected from human-driven global warming. They point out that while not every year will set a new high, the recent run of record-breaking seasons is consistent with rising background temperatures caused by greenhouse gases. The warmth in 2025 was broad-based. After a cool start, every month aside from January and September was warmer than average. The spring and summer were the warmest in the observational record, with each month from March to August at least 1°C above the 1991–2020 average. Heatwaves punctuated the year, though the hottest single day on record remains 19 July 2022, when temperatures climbed above 40°C. Sunshine was also exceptional. The UK logged 1,648.5 hours of sun, beating the previous record set in 2003 by more than 61 hours. That extended sunny weather, driven by persistent high-pressure systems and warmer-than-usual sea temperatures, delivered both benefits and challenges. One clear upside: solar output surged. For the first time, solar panels supplied over 6% of Britain’s annual electricity needs — an increase of more than half compared with recent years. On the downside, total rainfall was below average and some localities experienced record-low precipitation, highlighting pressure on water supplies and the rural economy. The Met Office attributes this combination of prolonged dry, sunny spells and elevated temperatures to a mix of atmospheric patterns and warming seas, amplified by the long-term trend of human-induced climate change. For households, farmers and planners, the year underlines that Britain is living with a different climate than previous generations knew — sunnier in places, hotter overall, and with new trade-offs between clean energy gains and water stress. --- Managing your business finances? TaxAce provides smart online accountancy services for UK businesses with flexible monthly plans. Image and reporting: https://www.theguardian.com | Read original article