UK sees warmest spring on record and driest in more than 50 years
2 June 2025, 14:18
The UK has recorded its warmest spring on record and its driest in more than 50 years, according to provisional Met Office figures.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Provisional figures showed this spring’s average temperature of 9.5C was above the long-term climatological average by 1.4C, making it the warmest since the series began in 1884.
Eight of the 10 warmest UK springs have occurred since the year 2000, and the three warmest springs have all occurred since 2017, the agency said.
The UK was also on track to record its driest spring in more than 100 years in mid-May until rain in the last couple of weeks meant it ended as the sixth driest since 1836.
With just 128.2mm of rainfall, this spring was 40% below the long-term average and the driest in more than 50 years.
Read more: Fire risk warning to households after UK basks in sunny spring
Read more: Drought declared in North West England after record dry weather
The unusual warmth hasn't been limited to land. Waters around the UK have experienced a marine heatwave, with sea surface temperatures reaching record highs for April and May, reports the Met Office.
Some areas have been as much as 4°C warmer than usual, creating unprecedented conditions in our coastal waters.
This combination of heat and sunshine, coupled with very low rainfall, has created challenging conditions across much of the country for agriculture and water resources.
The dominant factor behind this unusual spring has been the persistent high-pressure systems, often originating from the Azores or mainland Europe.
These systems have lingered over the UK since late February until the last week or so of May, blocking the usual flow of Atlantic weather fronts and allowing high pressure to dominate.
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.”
