England and Wales have just experienced their warmest spring on record, according to provisional figures from the Met Office. The seasonal mean average temperature from March to May reached its highest level since comparable data began in 1884.
The unprecedented warmth was significantly influenced by an exceptionally early and record-breaking heat spell at the end of May, the Met Office said. Scotland recorded its eighth warmest spring, while Northern Ireland experienced its joint sixth warmest. Across the UK as a whole, it was the third warmest spring on record.
Met Office scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said: 'This spring highlights both the natural variability of the UK’s weather and the longer-term warming we are observing. The fact that nine of the 10 warmest springs in England have occurred since 2007 illustrates this ongoing shift in the UK’s climate.'
Several counties in southern and eastern England received only around a third of their average rainfall this spring, with Cambridgeshire, Essex, Kent, and Suffolk all recording between 33% and 35% of their long-term average. The Environment Agency said a meeting of the National Drought Group will be held in the coming weeks to assess the impact of the recent heatwave.
Helen Wakeham, Environment Agency director of water and chair of the National Drought Group, said: 'No parts of England are currently in drought, but the risk increases the longer it remains hot and dry. The recent heatwave has seen significant peaks in demand for water while river flows have fallen due to the very dry spring, and reservoir levels are reducing.'
