State of the UK Climate: Record-breaking 2022 hottest on record

The UK officially experienced its hottest year since records began in 2022, amid a year of extreme weather records.

Published today, the latest State of the UK Climate report shows that 2022 was the warmest on record since 1884 when records began, with the average temperature 0.9°C above the 1991-2020 average.

Parts of Central England experienced the warmest year for more than three centuries, peaking with a summer heatwave pushing temperatures beyond 40°C for the first time in Coningsby, Lincolnshire.

A pattern of persistent warmth was noted throughout the year in this report, published by the Met Office, with every month other than December warmer than the 1991-2020 average.

Other extremes were also noted last year, including the warmest near-coast sea-surface temperatures since 1870, and a lack of snowfall meaning we had one of the least snowy years since the 1960s.

Sea levels continue to rise around the UK, since the 1900s levels have risen by 18.5 cm with 11.4 cm recorded just in the past 30 years.

Among five named storms, Storm Eunice, which arrived on February 18 was the strongest since 2014, with a gust of wind reaching 122 mph at The Needles, Isle of Wight, the strongest ever recorded.

Despite the heat, 2022 ended with a cold snap in December, the only cold snapped experienced in the year.

While the UK is warming at a consistent rate in line with the global mean temperature, data shows that temperature extremes in the UK are rising much faster than the average temperature.

The report is clear, a year of extremes as witnessed in 2022 was made much more likely by climate change, and a sign of things to come.