“The spring and summer seasons were record hot as well, causing more than tens of thousands of wildfires and likely thousands of deaths across the UK.
“We can only stop the growing impacts of climate change by cutting our greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, and the longer we take to reach it the more death, damage and suffering there will be,” he added.
The country experienced persistent spells of dry and sunny weather in 2025, with every month except January and September warmer than average.
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Wildfires
Spring and then a summer featuring four heatwaves were Britain’s warmest on record, while spring was the driest in more than a century.
Droughts were declared in several regions, reservoir sites fell below 50 percent of their usual capacity and a handful of water companies issued bans on using hosepipes.
Fire brigades in England also tackled the highest number of spring wildfires since comparable records began in 2011, according to figures obtained by the PA news agency from 35 of the 43 fire services in England.
At least 12,454 grassland, woodland or crop fires were recorded by fire services in the three months from March to May 2025.
The number was more than four times the 2,621 incidents logged in the same period in 2024.
A further 14,448 wildfires were recorded between June and August, the second-highest in recent years after 2022, when very hot weather pushed the total for those months to 20,858.
Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said: “Meteorologically, the warmth has been driven largely by persistent high-pressure systems bringing prolonged dry, sunny conditions, alongside above-average sea temperatures around the UK.
“These factors have combined to keep temperatures consistently higher than normal for much of the year.”
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