2025 is on course to become the UK’s hottest year on record, with average temperatures above 10 degrees celsius, according to the Met Office.
Final figures for the year will be published on January 2, but data up to the final week of December shows the average temperature at 10.05C.
The previous record was 10.03C, set in 2022, the Met Office said.
If confirmed, the data would mean that four of the past five years rank among the hottest ever recorded in the UK since records began in 1884.
The Met Office said the 10 warmest years on record have all occurred within the past two decades.
“In terms of our climate, we are living in extraordinary times,” said senior Met Office scientist Mike Kendon.
“The changes we are seeing are unprecedented in observational records (going) back to the 19th century.”
Last week, the Met Office published figures showing that 2025 was the UK’s sunniest year since at least 1910.
By December 15, the country had recorded 1,622 hours of sunshine, surpassing the previous record set in 2003.
Spring was the sunniest season of 2025, as periods of high pressure reduced cloud cover across Britain.
Spring 2025 was also the hottest spring on record in the UK, with four heatwaves and rainfall 16 per cent lower than the seasonal average.
