The Met Office has confirmed that 2025 was the UK's warmest year since records began in 1884. The mean average temperature reached 10.09°C, surpassing the previous record of 10.03°C set in 2022. Four of the top five warmest years have occurred in the current decade, with all ten warmest years taking place in the past two decades.
Persistent high-pressure systems brought prolonged dry and sunny weather, making every month except January and September warmer than average. Spring and summer were both the warmest on record, with spring also being the driest in over a century. A series of four heatwaves from mid-June to mid-August pushed temperatures above 30°C in many areas, peaking at 35.8°C in Faversham, Kent, on July 1.
The dry conditions led to droughts in several regions, with reservoir levels falling below 50% of normal capacity and hosepipe bans affecting nearly 10 million people. 2025 also set a sunshine record, with an average of 1,648.5 hours—61.4 hours more than the previous record set in 2003. Sunshine data began in 1910.
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... This very warm year is in line with expected consequences of human-induced climate change.” Since 2000, the UK annual mean temperature record has been broken six times: 2002, 2003, 2006, 2014, 2022, and 2025.
2025 was the warmest year on record for England and Scotland, and the second warmest for Wales and Northern Ireland. Dr Emily Carlisle noted that “consistent heat throughout the year” was driven by high-pressure systems and above-average sea temperatures. The year ended with 90% of long-term average rainfall, though parts of Sussex remain in drought.
