Summary:
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According to the Met Office, last year was the UK’s warmest on record.
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According to the report, the average annual temperature exceeded 10 °C for the first time in 2022. The average temperature throughout the year was 10.03 °C, surpassing the previous record high of 9.88 °C in 2014. This means that 15 of the 20 warmest years on record for the UK have all happened in this century, and all of the top 10 have occurred in the last two decades.
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The Met Office National Climate Information Centre’s director, Dr. Mark McCarthy, said: “Although 10 degrees Celsius is an arbitrary number, the UK reaching it marks a significant turning point in our understanding of climate change.
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A recent study of climate extremes in the UK found that the highest temperatures have been rising and that warm spells have been getting longer.
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By 2100, the UK might experience 40 °C days every three to four years.
According to the Met Office, last year was the UK’s warmest on record.
According to the report, the average annual temperature exceeded 10 °C for the first time in 2022.
The average temperature throughout the year was 10.03 °C, surpassing the previous record high of 9.88 °C in 2014.
This means that 15 of the 20 warmest years on record for the UK have all happened in this century, and all of the top 10 have occurred in the last two decades.
The Met Office National Climate Information Centre’s director, Dr. Mark McCarthy, said: “Although 10 degrees Celsius is an arbitrary number, the UK reaching it marks a significant turning point in our understanding of climate change.”
“This development is unsurprising because, since 1884, the ten years with the greatest annual temperatures have all started in 2003.”
The observational record shows that global warming caused by humans is already changing the weather in the UK.
The average temperature of England, at 10.94 degrees Celsius, was the highest of the four countries in 2022, followed by Wales (10.23 degrees), Northern Ireland (9.85 degrees), Scotland (10.04 degrees), and Australia (8.50 degrees).
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According to the Met Office, 2023 will be warmer than 2022.
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Is the UK becoming more humid?
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A straightforward guide to climate change
The Met Office said that in a natural climate, a UK mean temperature of 10C would have been expected once every 500 years before people started making the emissions that cause climate change by burning fossil fuels. However, given the current climate, this will likely happen every three to four years.
A recent study of climate extremes in the UK found that the highest temperatures have been rising and that warm spells have been getting longer.
It is anticipated that the trend will continue. By 2100, the UK might experience 40 °C days every three to four years.
The Met Office added that at this point, with medium levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the 10C average temperature could occur nearly every year.
Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network
