Report Warns of a Rapidly Shifting Climate
The UK is experiencing climatic extremes that are increasingly becoming part of normal life, according to a new report. The annual State of the UK Climate report found that 2025 was the hottest year on record, with further unprecedented changes likely to bring new records soon.
Hottest Year in Data Going Back to 1884
Temperature records dating back to 1884 show that the UK had never experienced a year as warm as 2025. Scientists linked the record heat to carbon pollution accumulating in the atmosphere and pushing temperatures to higher levels.
Spring and Summer Break Records
The country recorded its warmest spring and summer on record last year. England also experienced its driest spring in a century, highlighting how heat and lack of rainfall are increasingly combining to create more severe climate conditions.
Heatwaves Continue Into 2026
The report comes as the UK faces its third heatwave in two months, part of a wider pattern of extreme heat across Europe. On Tuesday, the Met Office said the UK had already recorded as many days above 30C in 2026 as it did during the notably hot year of 1976.
Extreme Conditions Feel More Familiar
Mike Kendon, a scientist at the National Climate Information Centre and lead author of the report, said conditions once viewed as extreme are increasingly being seen as normal. He said each year adds more evidence that the UK climate is undergoing unprecedented change.
Recent Years Dominate Heat Records
The report, published Wednesday in the International Journal of Climatology, found that the last four years in the UK rank among the five hottest ever recorded. Higher average temperatures caused by climate breakdown are making dangerous heat extremes even hotter.
Hottest Days Are Warming Fastest
In an area stretching from Kent in the south-east to Lincolnshire in the East Midlands, the average hottest day of the year was 4.5C warmer over the last decade than it was during the 1961 to 1990 period.
London Sees Sharp Rise in Hot Days
Greater London has seen a major increase in heat exposure. The number of days above 30C and nights above 18C has more than quadrupled compared with the 1961 to 1990 baseline.
Northern Areas Now Resemble Past London
Scientists said colder northern parts of the UK are now experiencing temperatures similar to those London had decades ago. Kendon said the climate is moving, noting that annual average temperatures of 11C were almost unknown in the UK in the 1980s, while by 2025 nearly a fifth of the land surface had reached that level.
Heavier Rainfall Adds Flood Risk
Warmer air can hold about 7% more moisture for each degree Celsius of warming. That increases the potential for heavier rainfall and raises the risk of flooding. The report found that the number of the very wettest days has increased by more than 20% since the 1961 to 1990 period, while rainfall intensity has risen by 5%.
Wetter Climate Still Brings Drought Risk
Although the UK is becoming wetter overall, hot and dry summers are expected to make droughts more severe as average temperatures continue to rise. In spring 2025, most of England and Wales received less than half the average rainfall recorded for the same period from 1991 to 2020.
River Flows Fall to Historic Lows
England’s river flow from March to August 2025 was the second lowest on record in a dataset that begins in 1961. The figure reflects the pressure that prolonged dry weather can place on water systems, ecosystems and agriculture.
Climate Change Felt in Homes and Communities
Liz Bentley, head of the Royal Meteorological Society, said people most often experience climate change through extreme weather. She said the effects long described by scientists are now increasingly being felt by people across the UK in their homes and communities.
Wildfire Conditions Intensify
Persistent hot and dry weather has created conditions that allow wildfires to spread more easily. Fire services have struggled to contain recent blazes, while experts have warned that the country is experiencing a period of elevated fire risk.
Third Heatwave Brings More Pressure
The third heatwave of the year is forecast to reach highs of up to 33C on Wednesday. It has lasted longer than the late June heatwave, although it has been milder. The earlier event overwhelmed hospitals, disrupted travel and forced schools to close.
Heatwaves Linked to Thousands of Deaths
A separate analysis published Sunday estimated that the May and June heatwaves caused about 2,700 deaths in England and Wales. The findings underline the growing health risks associated with more frequent and intense heat.
Infrastructure Built for an Older Climate
Kendon said much of the UK’s infrastructure, housing, agriculture and health systems were designed for a climate that no longer matches recent observations. He warned that the current level of change is not the endpoint, as warming and its impacts are expected to continue.
