2025 was the UK’s warmest and sunniest year on record, the Met Office has confirmed.
The UK’s three hottest years on record have now all been in this decade, which meteorologists say is proof of a rapidly changing climate. All of the top 10 warmest years have happened in the past two decades.
With a mean temperature of 10.09C, 2025 now tops the list, with 2022 and 2023 the second and third warmest years since records began in 1884. It was only the second time since the 19th century that the mean temperature exceeded 10C.
The Met Office’s head of climate attribution, Dr Mark McCarthy, said: “2025 was the warmest year on record for the UK, surpassing the previous record set in 2022, in a series dating back to 1884. 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.
“This very warm year is in line with expected consequences of human-induced climate change. 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.”
Spring and summer 2025 were warm with multiple heatwaves, though the record hottest day is still 19 July 2022, when temperatures exceeded 40C.
The Met Office scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said: “While many will remember the long warm spring and summer of 2025, what has been noteworthy this year has been the consistent heat throughout the year, with every month except January and September warmer than average.
“In the six months from March to August, every month was at least 1C above the 1991-2020 average. This resulted in the warmest spring and the warmest summer we have seen in this series.
“Meteorologically, the warmth has been driven largely by persistent high-pressure systems bringing prolonged dry, sunny conditions, alongside above-average sea temperatures around the UK. These factors have combined to keep temperatures consistently higher than normal for much of the year.”
2025 has also become the sunniest year in records dating back to 1910, with 1,648.5 hours of sunshine recorded across the UK – 61.4 hours more than the previous record set in 2003.
The higher than average sunshine hours boosted the UK’s solar farms. More than 6% of Britain’s annual energy requirements were met by solar this year, which is a more than 50% increase on recent years.
Overall rainfall totals were below average and some areas saw record low levels of rain.
