The UK has experienced its hottest spring on record and its driest in over half a century, according to new data released by the Met Office on Monday.
Between March and May, average temperatures across the country reached 9.51°C, surpassing the previous record of 9.37°C set just last year. The Met Office, which has been recording weather data since 1884, noted that eight of the ten warmest springs have occurred since the year 2000.
“This data clearly shows that recent decades have been warmer, sunnier and often drier than the 20th-century average,” said Met Office climate scientist Emily Carlisle.
Rainfall was also significantly below average, with just 128.2mm recorded across the UK during the season—around 40 percent less than usual—making it the driest spring in more than 50 years. England experienced its driest spring in over a century, exceeded only by the spring of 1893.
“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,” Carlisle added.
The unusually dry and sunny weather has been attributed to persistent high-pressure systems that have remained in place since late February, often originating from the Azores or mainland Europe. These systems have blocked the typical Atlantic fronts that usually bring rain, allowing high pressure to dominate the UK’s weather patterns.
Drought Concerns Loom
The prolonged dry spell has heightened concerns about the risk of drought this summer. The Environment Agency (EA) convened its national drought group last month after reporting “exceptionally low” reservoir levels. Although an official drought has not been declared, the agency warned there is a “medium risk” of drought if the country does not see sustained rainfall soon.
Richard Thompson, the EA’s deputy director for water, cautioned that climate change would likely bring more frequent and severe summer droughts in the coming decades.
In response, the UK government has pledged to accelerate the construction of two new water reservoirs—the first such projects since 1992—following growing concerns about water supply resilience.
Climate experts continue to warn that increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather events are becoming more frequent as global greenhouse gas emissions remain high.