UK and Ireland avoid hottest July ever

July 2023 was officially the warmest July on record across the world, but while some areas sweltered, the UK and Ireland were a notable anomaly.

In the global heat anomaly map released by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, we see that the UK and Ireland actually saw below average temperatures.

Met Office data shows that mean temperatures were 0.3°C below average compared to the 1991-2020 period.

We have the jet stream to thank, which spent much of July south of the UK and Ireland, blocking the warm air masses which were baking the continent.

With the heat trapped south, multiple weather fronts passed over the two countries, resulting in often stormy, wet weather. Quelling heat further.

For more insights into the record July, check out our full breakdown.

Global temperatures in July were 0.72°C higher than the long-term average, besting July 2019 by a margin of 0.33°C.

The data represents an around 1.5°C warmer figure for global temperatures compared to the 1850-1900 average.

Meanwhile, air temperatures over large regions of the ocean were also above average, combining with record sea-surface temperatures as El Niño continues to develop.