The UK experienced its warmest and sunniest year on record in 2025, according to provisional figures released by the Met Office at 12.30pm on the 2nd of January 2026.
The data shows the UK recorded a mean temperature of 10.09°C across the year, making 2025 the warmest since records began in 1884 and placing it ahead of the previous record set in 2022.
It also marks only the second year on record in which the UK’s annual mean temperature has exceeded 10.0°C, underlining the scale of recent warming trends.
The figures confirm that four of the last five years now sit within the top five warmest years on record, with every year in the top ten occurring within the past two decades.
Alongside the temperature record, 2025 was also confirmed as the sunniest year since UK sunshine records began in 1910.
A total of 1648.5 hours of sunshine were recorded across the UK during the year, surpassing the previous record set in 2003 by 61.4 hours.
Since the start of the 21st century, the UK has now broken its annual mean temperature record six times, in 2002, 2003, 2006, 2014, 2022 and 2025.
Seasonal data shows that Spring and Summer 2025 were both the warmest on record, while Winter 24/25 and Autumn 2025 also recorded above average temperatures.
Mark McCarthy said the figures reflect a clear and accelerating shift in the UK’s climate.
“2025 was the warmest year on record for the UK, surpassing the previous record set in 2022, in a series dating back to 1884.
“We’re increasingly seeing UK temperatures break new ground in our changing climate, as demonstrated by a new highest UK mean temperature record just three years after the last record.
“This very warm year is in line with expected consequences of human induced climate change.
“Although it doesn’t mean every year will be the warmest on record, it is clear from our weather observations and climate models that human induced global warming is impacting the UK’s climate.”
Further analysis highlights how sustained the warmth was throughout the year rather than being driven by a single extreme period.
Emily Carlisle said the consistency of elevated temperatures was a defining feature of 2025.
“While many will remember the long warm spring and summer of 2025, what has been noteworthy this year has been the consistent heat throughout the year, with every month except January and September warmer than average.
“In the six months from March to August, every month was at least 1°C above the 1991 to 2020 average.
“This resulted in the warmest spring and the warmest summer we have seen in this series.
“Meteorologically, the warmth has been driven largely by persistent high pressure systems bringing prolonged dry, sunny conditions, alongside above average sea temperatures around the UK.
“These factors have combined to keep temperatures consistently higher than normal for much of the year.”
The Met Office says the new records offer further evidence of how climate change is reshaping long term weather patterns across the UK.
