UK braced for thunderstorms and heavy rain after warmest spring on record
3 June 2025, 13:23
After the sunniest spring on record, Brits are warned to brace for a wet, windy and cool summer.
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After some heavy rain clears away on Tuesday morning, the week is looking unsettled with showers and thunderstorms across the UK.
Temperatures can drop to 2 to 4C in the early hours during early June.
The weekend's weather remains mixed but some sunny spells can be expected.
Tuesday afternoon could see some sunny spells, after a wet and blustery morning.
Wednesday night and Thursday morning are expected to see heavy showers and some thunderstorm across England and Wales.
Read More: Fire risk warning to households after UK basks in sunny spring
Maximum temperatures will range from just 10C in northern Scotland to 19C in south-east England.
It will be a cooler June than average, as the usual temperature sicks around 15 to 20C.
The recent wet weather is down to the jet stream, a fast band of wind high over the Atlantic, shifting position and changing the pressure pattern.
High pressure is associated with settled weather, which was replaced by low pressure causing the unsettled spells.
Into next week, some brighter and slightly warmer conditions can be expected around mid-week, especially in the south.
There are plenty of showers across the northwest of the UK, with rain still clearing from southeast England 🌧️
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 3, 2025
Here is an update 👇 pic.twitter.com/vnRIPycEzL
This as the UK has recorded its warmest spring on record and its driest in more than 50 years, provisional Met Office figures show.
How did the UK nations compare?
England
Just 75.8mm of rain fell in England across March, April and May this year, making it the second driest spring on record, behind only 1893 (65.7mm rain).
It is a stark contrast with last year, when England experienced 263.7mm rain over these three months – enough to make it the fifth wettest spring on record.
England saw 221.1mm in the first five months of the year, the lowest total for this period since 1976 (212.4mm).
The mean temperature in England this spring was 10.23C, the warmest on record and just ahead of the previous record of 10.21C which was set only last year.
Eight of England’s top 10 warmest springs have all occurred since 2000, four of them in the past six years.
It was the second sunniest spring on record for England, with 691.6 hours of sunshine across the three months – just behind the record of 692.6 hours set in 2020.
Met Office rainfall data begins in 1836, sunshine data starts in 1910, while temperature data begins in 1884.
Scotland
An average of 204.1mm rain fell in Scotland this spring, comfortably outside the top 10 driest on record (ranking in 22nd place) and well above the all-time driest (108.4mm in 1852).
It was the driest spring in Scotland since 2001.Scotland saw 396.9mm rain in the first five months of 2025, the lowest total for this period since 2001.
The mean temperature in Scotland this spring was 8.23C, the warmest on record.The previous record was 7.97C in 2024.
As with England, eight of Scotland’s top 10 warmest springs have occurred since 2000.
It was the sunniest spring on record for Scotland, with 593.7 hours across the three months.
The previous record was 520.4C in 2020.
Wales
Wales saw its sixth driest spring on record this year, with 145.8mm rain.
It was the driest spring since 1990.
The lowest spring rainfall recorded for Wales was 110.5mm in 1893.
Total rainfall in Wales in 2025 to the end of May is 382.8mm, the lowest for the first five months of the year since 2010.
The mean temperature in Wales this spring was 9.69C, the warmest on record.
The previous record was 9.66C in 1893, with 2024 (9.43C) now in third place.
As with England and Scotland, eight of Wales’ top 10 warmest springs have been since 2000.
It was the sunniest spring on record for Wales, with 660.4 hours across the three months, ahead of the previous record of 647.1 hours in 2020.
Northern Ireland
An average of 168.6mm rain fell in Northern Ireland this spring, just inside the top 40 lowest totals on record.
The driest spring on record here was in 1837, when just 98.3mm rain was measured.
Total rainfall in Northern Ireland in 2025 to the end of May is 315.2mm, the lowest for this period since 1987.
The mean temperature this spring was 9.78C, the warmest on record.
The previous record was 9.42C in 1893, with 2024 (9.28C) in third place.
Eight of Northern Ireland’s top 10 warmest springs have occurred since 2000.
This includes 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
It was the sunniest spring on record for Northern Ireland, with 614.3 hours across the three months, beating the previous record of 559.0 hours in 2020.
