The UK has registered its hottest and sunniest spring, prompting warnings that action is needed to tackle climate change.
Eight of the 10 warmest UK springs have occurred since the year 2000, and the three hottest have come since 2017.
But this spring was particularly warm, with its mean temperature of 9.5C surpassing the long-term average by 1.4C. All four UK nations recorded their highest mean temperature for the season, according to the Met Office.
Alec Hutchings, WWF’s chief climate adviser, said: “This new Met Office data is a stark warning that climate change is no longer a distant threat – it’s here now and it needs immediate action.”
The British spring is usually cool and wet, a season of umbrellas and raincoats. But since the end of February, high-pressure systems, often from the Azores or mainland Europe, have lingered over the British isles, blocking the usual flow of Atlantic weather fronts that bring damp weather.
The result was not only the sunniest spring on record, but with only three summers sunnier since 1910, the fourth sunniest season overall since records began.
The Met Office recorded 653.3 hours of sunshine – 43% above average – over spring, beating the previous high in 2020 by more than 27 hours.
Sunshine did not just bring heat on land: there was an unusual heatwave in the sea, with waters around the UK reaching record temperatures for April and May. Some areas were up to 4C warmer than usual.
Lack of rain left farmers and gardeners struggling. By mid-May, the UK was experiencing its driest spring for a century. Recent rainfall has eased conditions slightly but this spring still ranks as the sixth driest since 1836. The 128.2mm (5in) of rainfall was about 40% below the long-term average.
Emily Carlisle, a Met Office scientist, said: “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.”
