Spring 2025: Record-Breaking Temperatures Confirmed by Met Office

Spring 2025 has broken historical climate records, marking an unprecedented season of warmth and sunshine across the UK, according to provisional Met Office statistics.

The UK, and all four nations, have all recorded their warmest spring for mean temperature since the series began in 1884, surpassing the previous record from 2024. This season also outshone the rest, claiming the title of sunniest spring on record for the UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with England recording its second sunniest spring since sunshine records began in 1910. 

To put this into context, Spring 2025 is now the fourth sunniest season overall for the UK, with only three summers sunnier since 1910.   

The remarkable season unfolded month by month, beginning with a record-breaking sunny March that set the tone, with above-average temperatures and significantly reduced rainfall. April 2025 continued the trend as the UK's sunniest April on record, maintaining the warm and dry pattern. May rounded off the season as the second sunniest May on record for the UK, with temperatures again exceeding the average. 

Record-breaking temperatures 

This spring's mean temperature of 9.5°C surpassed the long-term climatological average by 1.4°C, making it the warmest spring since the series began in 1884. It’s worth noting that eight of the ten warmest UK springs have occurred since the year 2000, and the three warmest springs have all occurred since 2017, a sign of our changing climate.  

A heatwave in the sea too  

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. Some areas have been as much as 4°C warmer than usual, creating unprecedented conditions in our coastal waters. 

Extraordinary sunshine  

With 653.3 hours of sunshine – 43% above average – Spring 2025 has outshone all previous springs since the series in 1910. Seven of the UK's ten sunniest springs having occurred since 2000.  

Very low rainfall 

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. 

By mid-May, the UK was experiencing its driest spring in over 100 years. Although recent wet weather has eased conditions slightly, Spring 2025 still ranks as the sixth driest spring since this series began in 1836, with just 128.2mm of rainfall – approximately 40% below the long-term average and still the driest spring in more than 50 years.  

What’s been behind the weather?   

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.”  

Find out more about the effects of climate change on UK weather events. 

Spring 2025: Record-Breaking Temperatures Confirmed by Met Office - created 13.6.25