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Climate and science reporter
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Temperatures in the seas around the UK and Ireland have soared in the past week with some areas now 4C warmer than normal, with potential implications for marine life and people going swimming.
The heatwave is most intense off the west coast of Ireland as well as pockets off the coasts of Cornwall and Devon, according to scientists at the National Oceanography Centre and the Met Office.
Sea temperatures in April and the first half of May were the highest recorded during those months since monitoring began 45 years ago.
Climate change is causing oceans to warm around the globe and is making marine heatwaves like this one more likely.
Scientists expect 2025 to be one of the hottest years on record for air temperatures.
“It’s super intense at the moment. The marine heatwave has really soared this week,” says Dr Ségolène Berthou at the Met Office.
The entire west coast of the UK is now about 2.5C above average. A large portion of Scottish waters are 2-3C warmer than usual for the time of year.
In one location, just off Tyne and Tees, temperatures are 5C higher than average, according to the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.
Dr Zoe Jacobs, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre, first noticed the unusual marine temperatures a few weeks ago. She found that pockets of the UK had been coming in and out of a mild heatwave since late 2024. That heat intensified and spread in March and has now surged.
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