Spring 2025 sun outshone all of NI's previous summers
Northern Ireland has recorded its sunniest ever season as spring 2025 saw more hours of sunshine than any previous spring or even summer since records began. A total of 614.3 hours of sun were recorded, which is 43% above normal.It was also Northern Ireland's warmest spring on record, according to figures released by the Met Office.The mean temperature was 9.8C, which is 1.6C above average, making it the warmest spring since temperature records began in 1893.
Meteorological spring refers to the three-month period from the start of March to the end of May. When do the seasons change?The rise in temperature was felt throughout the season with May and April also ranking as Northern Ireland's third warmest April and May on record.May 2025 was particularly bright, seeting a new sunshine record.Meanwhile, March and April also saw well above average levels of sunshine.
Changing climate
Overall the season has been been much drier than normal with 72% of normal rainfall recorded.Only April saw rain levels above what is normally seen.According to the Met Office, the record-breaking conditions are attributed to persistent high pressure systems which dominated the weather from late February through most of May.These systems blocked the usual Atlantic fronts, resulting in prolonged dry and sunny weather.Scientists note that the frequency of such extreme conditions is increasing, with seven of the UK's 10 sunniest springs occurring since 2000, and three of the warmest springs since 2017."This spring shows some of the changes we are seeing in our weather patterns, with more extreme conditions, including prolonged dry, sunny weather, becoming more frequent," said Met Office scientist, Emily Carlisle."The data 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."
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