UK weather: 2023 was second warmest year on record, says Met Office

According to provisional data from the Met Office, the UK's national weather service, 2023 was the second warmest year on record in the UK. The only year that was warmer was 2022, with an average temperature that was only 0. 06C higher. For both Wales and Northern Ireland, 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded. The Met Office has stated that climate change has made these high temperatures significantly more likely.

Mike Kendon, a Senior Scientist at the Met Office, has said that the observations of the UK climate are clear. Climate change is influencing UK temperature records over the long term, with 2023 being another very warm year. Despite the variability of the UK's climate, with periods of cold and wet weather, high temperature records have been tumbling over recent decades.

The summer of 2023 in the UK was marked by the hottest June and joint hottest September on record, with temperatures reaching over 33C. The UK has some of the oldest temperature records in the world, with the Central England Temperature series kept by the Met Office dating back to 1659. Despite successive hottest years on record, the government was warned in July about the UK's lack of preparedness for climate change. In 2022, around 3,000 more deaths than average in the over-65s were reported and 20% of operations were cancelled.