UK has warmest spring on record and driest in 50 years as climate change bites

Independent

4 days ago

The UK has recorded its warmest spring on record and its driest in more than 50 years, provisional Met Office figures show.
The three months from March to May were also the sunniest spring on record for the UK, the figures reveal.
The figures come after north-west England became the first region in the country to declare a drought following the exceptionally dry spring, farmers struggled to grow crops, and millions of households were warned they could face hosepipe bans this summer without sustained rainfall.
And environmental campaigners said the latest data was a 'stark warning' that climate change was no longer a distant threat, but one which needed immediate action.
Spring temperatures surpassed the long term average by 1.4C and beat the previous warmest spring in 2024, in records dating back to 1884.
The Met Office said that eight of the 10 warmest springs on record had occurred since 2000 and the three warmest had been since 2017, in a sign of the changing climate.
And the organisation warned that seas around the UK had experienced a marine heatwave, as sea surface temperatures reached record highs for April and May and with 'unprecedented conditions' of as much as 4C warmer than usual in some areas.
By mid-May, the UK was experiencing its driest spring in more than 100 years, and although recent wet weather has eased conditions slightly, this year still ranks as the sixth driest since records began in 1836.
With rainfall 40% below the average, it was the driest spring in more than 50 years across the UK, while England saw its driest spring in more than 100 years.
Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said: 'The UK's climate continues to change. What's particularly notable about spring 2025 is the combination of record warmth and sunshine, alongside very low rainfall.
'This spring shows some of the changes we're seeing in our weather patterns, with more extreme conditions, including prolonged dry, sunny weather, becoming more frequent.
'The data clearly shows that recent decades have been warmer, sunnier, and often drier than the 20th century average, although natural variation will continue to play a role in the UK's weather.'
The Met Office figures show temperatures in the UK provisionally averaged 9.51C across March, April and May, just above the previous spring record of 9.37C, which was set only last year.
The next warmest springs were in 2011 (9.12C), 2014 (9.02C) and 2007 (9.02C).
All four nations experienced their warmest spring on record, with temperatures 1.64C above the long-term average in Northern Ireland, 1.56C above average in Scotland, 1.39C in Wales and 1.35C in England.
It was also incredibly dry, with an average of 128.2mm of rain falling in the UK across March, April and May, the lowest spring total since 1974 (123.2mm) and the sixth lowest for spring since Met Office rainfall records began in 1836.
The driest UK spring on record was in 1852, when just 100.7mm rain was measured.
England endured its second driest spring on record this year, with just 75.8mm rain, behind only 1893 (65.7mm), while Wales saw its sixth driest spring, with 145.8mm of rain.
Alec Hutchings, WWF's chief climate adviser, said: 'This new Met Office data is a stark warning that climate change is no longer a distant threat – it's here now and it needs immediate action.
'The UK Government needs a clear, credible plan to reduce emissions and put people at the heart of climate policy. It's time to unlock the investment to a low-carbon future and turn the temperature down.
'Climate action is an economic opportunity to futureproof our economy and support businesses and communities of the future.'
Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank said the rate at which climate records were falling was 'relentless'.
He pointed to the hottest day ever in the UK in 2022, with 'dire impacts' on potato and vegetable growers, the wettest winter on record in 2024, following the wettest 18-month spell, which devastated the harvest, he said.
'And now farmers are having to contend with England's driest spring in over a century, that has already damaged crops, threatening another poor harvest this year.'
He called for better support for farmers to adapt to extremes amid concerns the sustainable farming budget is to be cut in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' spending review next week.