The Met Office has confirmed that 2025 was the UK's warmest and sunniest year on record, with a mean temperature of 10.09°C and 1,648.5 hours of sunshine. This surpasses the previous temperature record set in 2022 and the sunshine record from 2003.
All three of the UK's hottest years have now occurred in this decade, with 2022 and 2023 ranking second and third warmest since records began in 1884. Only twice since the 19th century has the mean temperature exceeded 10°C.
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. We’re increasingly seeing UK temperatures break new ground in our changing climate.” He added that the record is in line with human-induced global warming.
Every month except January and September was warmer than average, with March to August each at least 1°C above the 1991-2020 baseline. This resulted in the warmest spring and summer on record. Persistent high-pressure systems and above-average sea temperatures drove the warmth.
Sunshine hours reached 1,648.5, beating the previous record by 61.4 hours. This boosted solar energy, with solar farms meeting over 6% of Britain's annual energy needs—a 50% increase on recent years. Rainfall was below average, with some areas experiencing record lows.
