Met Office confirms 2025 is hottest year on record

The Met Office has confirmed that 2025 was the UK’s warmest since records began in 1884.

The mean average temperature for the country across 2025 was 10.09C, beating the previous record of 10.03C set just three years earlier in 2022.

All of the UK’s top 10 warmest years have now occurred in the past two decades, with four of the top five taking place in the current decade.

It follows the warmest spring on record, with consistent dry weather in March, April and May causing concerns of a drought over summer.

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By mid-May the UK was experiencing its driest spring in over 100 years, with the country receiving only half its expected rainfall.

Hosepipe bans and water restrictions were eventually introduced for customers of Yorkshire Water, South East, Thames and Southern Water.

Dr Mark McCarthy, head of climate attribution at the Met Office, said: “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.”

The last 12 months will go down in history as a double record-breaker, thanks to it also being the UK’s sunniest year on record.

The country clocked up an average of 1,648.5 hours of sunshine across the 12 months, 61.4 hours more than the previous record of 1,587.1 hours set in 2003.

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.

"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."