The Met Office has confirmed that 2025 was the UK's warmest and sunniest year since records began. The mean temperature for the year was 10.09C, surpassing the previous record set in 2022, while 1,648.5 hours of sunshine were recorded — the highest total in a series dating back to 1910.
This means the UK's three hottest years on record have all occurred in the current decade, with 2022 and 2023 ranking second and third warmest in records stretching back to 1884. It was only the second time since the 19th century that the mean annual temperature exceeded 10C, according to the Met Office.
Dr Mark McCarthy, head of climate attribution at the Met Office, 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." He added that the very warm year is in line with expected consequences of human-induced climate change, and while not every year will be the warmest on record, observations and models show that global warming is impacting the UK's climate.
Dr Emily Carlisle, a Met Office scientist, noted that the warmth was remarkable for its persistence. "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," she said. She explained that from March to August, every month was at least 1C above the 1991-2020 average, producing the warmest spring and summer in the series. She attributed the conditions to persistent high-pressure systems and above-average sea temperatures around the UK.
The extra sunshine delivered a significant boost to solar power generation. More than 6% of Britain's annual energy requirements were met by solar this year, a more than 50% increase compared with recent years. Overall rainfall totals were below average, with some areas seeing record low levels of rain.
