Uk on track for hottest year ever recorded as 2025 temperatures soar past previous records

The United Kingdom is poised to experience its hottest year since temperature records began, with 2025 currently tracking well above the previous record holder from 2022, according to the Met Office. The national weather service reports that mean temperatures throughout the year make it “more likely than not” that 2025 will claim the top spot in the UK’s climate history books.

This potential record comes after a punishing year of extreme weather that saw intense heatwaves scorch the country during summer months, accompanied by widespread drought conditions that stressed water supplies and ecosystems across Britain. The exceptionally warm temperatures continued into autumn, with unseasonably mild weather extending the year’s heat streak well beyond typical seasonal patterns.

However, forecasters caution that the final outcome remains uncertain due to an expected cold spell arriving just as the year draws to a close. Weather models predict significantly colder temperatures from Christmas through New Year’s, which could potentially impact the annual average enough to keep 2025 from definitively breaking the 2022 record.

The prospect of another record-breaking year underscores the accelerating pace of climate change in the UK, where rising temperatures have become increasingly common. If confirmed, this would mark the second time in just three years that Britain has experienced its hottest year on record, highlighting a concerning trend of escalating heat that scientists directly link to global warming and increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.