What should be exceptional and rare is becoming more and more common. A study released this Wednesday (15/7) by the United Kingdom's meteorological agency, the Met Office, highlights that the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution today lives with the direct effects of this process on the climate, in an increasingly intense way.
Climate change makes extreme events “normal” in the UK
What should be exceptional and rare is becoming more and more common. A study released this Wednesday (15/7) by the United Kingdom's meteorological agency, the Met Office, highlights that the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution today...
The last four years have been the hottest on record in the United Kingdom, and 2025 has become the hottest in history since records began in 1884. According to the Met Office, the average British temperature in the last decade was 1.33°C above that recorded between 1961 and 1990.
- The UK recorded its hottest spring and summer in its history in 2025.
- In England, last year's spring was the driest in a century.
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The last four years have been the hottest on record in the United Kingdom, and 2025 has become the hottest in history since records began in 1884. According to the Met Office, the average British temperature in the last decade was 1.33°C above that recorded between 1961 and 1990.
The UK recorded its hottest spring and summer in its history in 2025. In England, last year's spring was the driest in a century. In the capital, London, the number of days with temperatures above 30oC more than quadrupled.
“We are living in a time of historic and unprecedented change and, in terms of temperature, on annual, seasonal, monthly and daily timescales, the evidence shows that the climate of the 20th century no longer exists”, commented Mike Kendon, from the Met Office, lead author of the report, to Sky News.
The analysis also reinforces the importance of climate adaptation to guarantee basic living and working conditions for people in an extreme climate scenario. “Much of our infrastructure, housing stock, agriculture and health systems are based on a climate that is no longer observed in recent observations,” Kendon highlighted to the Guardian.
The analysis could not come at a more appropriate time. Like much of Western Europe, the United Kingdom is experiencing a strong heat wave that keeps temperatures well above average and favors the occurrence and spread of forest fires in several regions.
The Guardian also highlighted the move by the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, to establish a maximum temperature for workplaces as a way of reducing workers' exposure to health problems resulting from the strong heat. The UK has health and safety guidelines on minimum workplace temperatures, but does not set maximum temperature limits.
Bloomberg, Financial Times and Reuters also shared the report.