Double record breaker: Spring 2025 is warmest and sunniest on UK record

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.  

All four nations also recorded their highest spring mean temperature, with Northern Ireland and Scotland recording notably high temperatures, up 1.6°C on average . For Northern Ireland, this meant surpassing the previous long-standing warmest average spring temperature, set back in 1893.  

The graph below shows spring's mean temperature for the UK since 1884.  

Daytime temperatures were also particularly remarkable. The UK surpassed its previous maximum daytime temperature record by a substantial margin, recording 14.6°C this year compared to the previous record of 14°C set in 1893. Now that this has been surpassed, there is only one temperature record for the UK for minimum, mean or maximum temperatures that was set in the 19th Century - the joint-highest maximum temperature for September at 19.4° C, which was recorded in both 1895 and 2023. 

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. This exceptional season exceeded the previous record (from 2020) by over 27 hours. This has been the fourth sunniest overall season for the UK (and the sunniest since 1995), and the sunniest overall season for Northern Ireland. 

Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all recorded their sunniest springs on record before the month was out, beating their 2020 records. England recorded its second sunniest spring on record, with only 2020 sunnier. Now, 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.  

England was particularly dry, experiencing its driest spring in more than 100 years, beaten only by 1893. Wales saw its sixth driest spring, and all other nations fell out of the top ten driest by the end of the month. 

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. 

May 2025 provisional statistics 

May overall will be remembered as sunny, warm and dry, with high pressure dominating for most of the month. The weather turned more unsettled from the 23rd onwards, as lower pressure pushed towards the UK and frontal systems brought much-needed rain to much of the country.  

Abundant May sunshine 

Again, the sun shone for the majority of May, meaning the UK recorded its second sunniest month, behind the 2020 top spot. Both Scotland and Northern Ireland though saw their sunniest May, with Wales its second and England its third.  

Well-above average temperatures 

It was a warm month too, with the UK recording its fifth warmest May on record. England recorded its second warmest May, with Northern Ireland its third, Wales its sixth and Scotland its seventh. 

Below average rainfall 

Although the first half of the month saw below average rainfall, with the UK seeing only 3.3mm of rainfall by the 17th, this increased through the second half of the month leaving the UK to have recorded 72% of its average May rainfall. England was the driest of the nations, recording 57% and here, there was a clear north/south divide, with Northern England recording 75% and Southern England just 47%.  

This graph shows the incredibly dry start to the month.