UK has sunniest spring on record - the implications dry spell has on environment
Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said seven of the top 10 sunniest springs on record for the UK have occurred since the year 2000. Alongside a dry spell it puts food production and the natural environment under increasing pressure.
The UK has already recorded its sunniest spring on record with four days of the season still remaining, the Met Office said. The country recorded 630 hours of sunshine from March 1 until May 27, beating the previous sunniest spring in 2020 by four hours, according to provisional Met Office figures. Records began in 1910.
The Met Office already confirmed both Scotland and Northern Ireland had seen their respective sunniest springs on record this year, beating the previous records set in 2020.
Met Office Scientist, Emily Carlisle said: "The UK has now, provisionally, recorded its sunniest spring on record, with still a few days of the season to go.We all remember the exceptionally sunny spring of 2020, but that title has now been surpassed by the spring of 2025. Now, seven of the top ten sunniest springs on records for the UK since 1910, have occurred since the year 2000."
She added: "It has indeed been an extremely sunny and dry spring for the majority, but with a few days left of the season and more unsettled weather this week, it's too early to say what will happen with other records. We will bring more updates as we have them this week, and will be releasing the full May and Spring 2025 statistics on Monday June 2." But what lasting effects will this have on Britain's environment?
What impact does this have?
Figures for rainfall are due to be published by the Met Office later this week and likely to show the UK has had one of its driest ever springs, despite heavy downpours in some areas in recent days
The sunny conditions mean that some farms have seen as little as 20ml of rain over March and April which is putting crops under strain and limiting grass growth for livestock.
As the dry weather continues, British food production and the natural environment are once again under pressure with exceptionally low river flows predicted across the UK this summer as a drought becomes more likely. Coupled with dwindling reservoir levels this puts waterways at risk, as farmers and water companies abstract from rivers when other water sources run low.
Environmental scientist Angela Terry, CEO of One Home said: 'We need to wake up to what is going on and not sleepwalk into a crisis. There are predictions that London and the South East will run out of drinking water by 2050 but no new reservoirs have opened in 30 years."
She added: 'Our rivers are drying up, crops are withering and wildlife which is dependent on water is put at risk. Food prices are already escalating and we have already seen how extreme weather has impacted food production in places like Spain. If we don't take this issue seriously, food shortages will become more frequent. Climate change is making our weather far more unpredictable and we must be prepared.'
An update from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology says dry, warm weather is expected over the next three months, putting further pressure on water resources.
Rachel Hallos, vice president of the National Farmers' Union, said: 'To think a country like ours, fortunate to have a temperate climate, hasn't invested in all-important water storage. The last major reservoir completed was more than 30 years ago, in 1992, at Carsington in Derbyshire. The impact of climate change is clear for all to see and it's why we need to take water seriously.'
She explained how crops are becoming stressed from the lack of water, while some have already started to irrigate at huge cost – some spending as much as £10,000 a day. She urged the government to invest in the nation's water infrastructure adding: 'We have to if we are to ensure that the food you enjoy is on the supermarket shelves.
'Central to this must be investment in the nation's water infrastructure. Not just at a big scale but locally too. It will allow us to look at innovative ways of growing more fruit and veg and other crops here while reducing the amount we import from more water scarce countries.'
No reservoirs have been built in England for more than 30 years, which leaves the country particularly vulnerable to drought.Reservoir levels are also lower than they should be after parts of the country had their driest spring on record, and if the dry weather continues as predicted there may be water shortages leading to hosepipe bans and potentially other forms of rationing.
To avert a drought there would need to be rainfall at levels last seen in 2012, when record-breaking deluges caused floods across the country. This does not look likely, with hot, dry weather ahead.
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