News release

27 April 2007

Records broken as temperatures rise

With forecasters at the Met Office predicting another weekend of above-average temperatures for most of the country, Met Office climate scientists have released more figures revealing new temperature records.

The Central England Temperature (CET) is the world's longest running temperature series and dates back to 1659. April 2007 and the 12-month rolling period ending in April 2007 are set to become the warmest since the records began 348 years ago.

Latest mean CET records to fall

• Provisional figure for May 2006 to April 2007: 11.6 °C - beating the previous record of 11.1 °C for the 12-month period ending October 1995
• Provisional figure for April 2007: 11.1 °C - beating the previous record of 10.6 °C set in 1865

The warming trend seen in the CET since the 1980s is consistent with climate predictions from the Met Office Hadley Centre, which undertakes research on the effect climate change could have in the UK and around the world.

One recent global study, 'Defence and Security Implications of Climate Change', looks at the environmental stresses brought about by an increasingly warmer world. These include drought, flooding, changes in crop yield and water resources.  

Dr Debbie Hemming, climate scientist at the Met Office Hadley Centre said: "The effects of temperature rise are being experienced on a global scale. Many of the regions that are projected to experience the largest climate changes are already vulnerable to environmental stress from resource shortages, rapid urbanisation, population rise and industrial development."

Mean temperatures - 12-month record
	Provisional (May 2006-April 2007)	Previous 12-month record	Date of record
UK	10.4 °C	9.7 °C	March 1997 to February 1998
England	11.4 °C	10.6 °C	November 1994 to October 1995
Northern Ireland	10.1 °C	9.8 °C	April 1997 to March 1998
Scotland	8.9 °C	8.4 °C	March 1997 to February 1998
Wales	10.6 °C	10.2 °C	November 1994 to October 1995

 

Mean temperatures for April
	Provisional - April 2007	April (1971-2000)	Previous April record	Year of record
UK	10.0 °C	6.9 °C	9.2 °C	1943
England	10.8 °C	7.6 °C	10.2 °C	1943
Northern Ireland	10.1 °C	7.2 °C	9.3 °C	1944
Scotland	8.8 °C	5.7 °C	8.1 °C	2003
Wales	9.7 °C	7.2 °C	9.3 °C	1987

Met Office Consulting

More about CET

Notes:

• New records will also be set for the whole of the UK, which date back to 1914.
• The Met Office Hadley Centre is the UK's official centre for climate change research. Partly funded by Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and the Ministry of Defence, we provide in-depth information to, and advise, the Government on climate change issues.
• Recent temperature rises are in line with recent findings by Dr Peter Stott of the Met Office Hadley Centre and Professor David Karoly of the University of Oklahoma. Their research showed the recent rapid warming of the CET is almost certainly due to human influence - the first time this has been rigorously identified on such a small geographic scale.
• The last 12 months have included the warmest month ever - July, and record temperatures for the month of September and the autumn.
• Met Office climate change consultancy provides data and risk-management services that are used by other government departments and agencies, the private sector and the public to mitigate and adapt to climate change.