In 2022, several locations across the United Kingdom exceeded temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius for the time time on record. The village of Coningsby in eastern England reached 40.3 degrees Celsius on July 19, 2022. That same day, temperatures at Heathrow and St James's Park in London, as well as Pitsford, Northamptonshire, also recorded a maximum temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius. 2022 was the UK's hottest year on record.

As of September 2024, the highest temperature ever recorded in the United Kingdom occurred on July 19th, 2022 at Coningsby, Lincolnshire. On this day, temperatures reached 40.3 degrees Celsius.

During the heat wave in 2022, the highest temperature recorded in the United Kingdom was 40.3 degrees Celsius on July 19 at Coningsby, Lincolnshire. An unprecedented extreme heatwave was experienced in the United Kingdom from 16 to 19 July 2022, and extreme temperatures at over 40°C were recorded for the first time since recording of temperatures began.

The United Kingdom recorded its hottest-ever year in 2022, with an average temperature of 10.03 degrees Celsius. Since the start of temperature recording in 1884, the 10 warmest years recorded in the UK have been from 2003 onwards. Weather conditions are predicted to become more extreme due to climate change.

The UK daily temperature data contain maximum and minimum temperatures (air, grass and concrete slab) measured over a period of up to 24 hours. The measurements were recorded by observation stations operated by the Met Office across the UK and transmitted within NCM, DLY3208 or AWSDLY messages. The data span from 1853 to 2023. For details on measurement techniques, including calibration information and changes in measurements, see section 5.2 of the MIDAS User Guide linked to from this record. Soil temperature data may be found in the UK soil temperature datasets linked from this record.

This version supersedes the previous version of this dataset and a change log is available in the archive, and in the linked documentation for this record, detailing the differences between this version and the previous version. The change logs detail new, replaced and removed data. These include the addition of data for calendar year 2023.

This dataset is part of the Midas-open dataset collection made available by the Met Office under the UK Open Government Licence, containing only UK mainland land surface observations owned or operated by the Met Office. It is a subset of the fuller, restricted Met Office Integrated Data Archive System (MIDAS) Land and Marine Surface Stations dataset, also available through the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis - see the related dataset section on this record. Currently this represents approximately 95% of available daily temperature observations within the full MIDAS collection.

The highest average temperature recorded in 2024 until November was in August, at 16.8 degrees Celsius. Since 2015, the highest average daily temperature in the UK was registered in July 2018, at 18.7 degrees Celsius. The summer of 2018 was the joint hottest since institutions began recording temperatures in 1910. One noticeable anomaly during this period was in December 2015, when the average daily temperature reached 9.5 degrees Celsius. This month also experienced the highest monthly rainfall in the UK since before 2014, with England, Wales, and Scotland suffering widespread flooding. Daily hours of sunshine Unsurprisingly, the heat wave that spread across the British Isles in 2018 was the result of particularly sunny weather. July 2018 saw an average of 8.7 daily sun hours in the United Kingdom. This was more hours of sun than was recorded in July 2024, which only saw 5.8 hours of sun. Temperatures are on the rise Since the 1960s, there has been an increase in regional temperatures across the UK. Between 1961 and 1990, temperatures in England averaged nine degrees Celsius, and from 2013 to 2022, average temperatures in the country had increased to 10.3 degrees Celsius. Due to its relatively southern location, England continues to rank as the warmest country in the UK.

The UK daily temperature data contain maximum and minimum temperatures (air, grass and concrete slab) measured over a period of up to 24 hours. The measurements were recorded by observation stations operated by the Met Office across the UK and transmitted within NCM, DLY3208 or AWSDLY messages. The data span from 1853 to 2019. For details on measurement techniques, including calibration information and changes in measurements, see section 5.2 of the MIDAS User Guide linked to from this record. Soil temperature data may be found in the UK soil temperature datasets linked from this record. This version supersedes the previous version of this dataset and a change log is available in the archive, and in the linked documentation for this record, detailing the differences between this version and the previous version. The change logs detail new, replaced and removed data. Of particular note, however, is that as well as including data for 2019, historical data recovery has added temperature and weather data for Bude (1937-1958), Teignmouth (1912-1930), and Eskdalemuir (1915-1948). This dataset is part of the Midas-open dataset collection made available by the Met Office under the UK Open Government Licence, containing only UK mainland land surface observations owned or operated by the Met Office. It is a subset of the fuller, restricted Met Office Integrated Data Archive System (MIDAS) Land and Marine Surface Stations dataset, also available through the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis - see the related dataset section on this record. Currently this represents approximately 95% of available daily temperature observations within the full MIDAS collection.

The Coastal Temperature Network consists of Cefas (and predecessor) originated data and data from external suppliers, who have agreed their data can be published as part of the network (Jones, 1981). The earliest data are from 1875 (Owers Light vessel) and have been supplied by the Met Office. The longest continuous record provided here is from Eastbourne (1892–2014). Sampling is from piers and breakwaters 50-200m from the shore where possible (Jones, 1981). The present network covers the temperature condition of coastal waters around the coast of England and Wales and was operationally combined with the salinity and temperature conditions across the Southern Bight of the North Sea. Individuals on behalf of Cefas, councils, companies and other organisations have obtained records of coastal sea surface temperature, for some stations, of more than 100-year duration. Approximately half of the stations started recording coastal temperatures in the mid–1960s. There are 41 stations in England and Wales where 20 out of 41 are still in operation. Cefas observers record coastal sea surface temperature using calibrated thermometers approximately 6 – 14 times per month, usually close to the time of high water. Other organisations record sea surface temperature ranging from daily values to monthly means. Since 2012, the data from Dover Council is recorded every minute. Data are published as monthly means (Joyce, 2006); the extracted data are the measurements used to calculate the means. The Cefas instruments are calibrated at Lowestoft to an accuracy of ±0.1°C. The accuracy of other instruments is not known, but is thought to be at least to an accuracy of ±0.2°C. The ferry route observers record offshore sea surface temperature from the ships main seawater pipe using a calibrated thermometer 4 times a month. The temperatures are recorded to at least an accuracy of ±0.2°C. The seawater samples are taken from the sea water main pipe to the harbour pump about 1.5 metres inboard. Quality assurance checks are applied to the data for each station by comparing the current dataset with either a 5 or 10 year running mean for each month. The data is first tested to see whether it is normally distributed i.e. whether all the data are close to average. The standard deviation is calculated to see how tightly the data are clustered around the mean; three standard deviations are then calculated to account for 99% of the data. If the data are outside this range (3 std dev) then the value is flagged and removed from subsequent analysis. See Joyce (2006) for details of the duration and history of individual datasets. Inevitably, there are changes in the number and location of monitoring stations over such a long period. At its peak the network reported on about 100 locations. This has reduced to around 30 in the late 20th century. Jones & Jeffs (1991) show the locations of early coastal stations. In addition, operating sites are moved and data recording upgraded, e.g. Eastbourne from a manual coastal site (see Joyce, 2006) to, in 2013, an electronic logging system mounted on an offshore buoy. These changes are reflected in the positions associated with the extracted data. See https://www.cefas.co.uk/cefas-data-hub/sea-temperature-and-salinity-trends/_ for a full description of the originating system which has sea-surface temperature (and sometimes salinity) data collected at a number of coastal sites around England and Wales, some operated by volunteers, some operated by local councils and some associated with power stations. The longest time-series include those from Eastbourne (1892 - present), Dover (1926 - present) and Port Erin, Isle of Man (1903 - present) although most time series began in the 1960s or 1970s.

.. _https://www.cefas.co.uk/cefas-data-hub/sea-temperature-and-salinity-trends/: https://www.cefas.co.uk/cefas-data-hub/sea-temperature-and-salinity-trends/

The United Kingdom's hottest summer ever recorded was in 2018, with an average temperature of 15.76 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, 2023 saw the eighth hottest summer in the UK, with an average temperature of 15.35 degrees. In the last couple of decades, five of the top 10 warmest summers in the UK were recorded. New temperature records in 2022 In summer 2022, record-breaking temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius were recorded at several locations across the UK. Accordingly, 2022 was also the UK's warmest year on record, with the average annual temperature rising above 10 degrees Celsius for the first time. Since temperature recording began in 1884, the hottest years documented in the country have all occurred after 2003. England: the warmest country in the UK Amongst the countries that comprise the United Kingdom, England has generally seen the highest annual mean temperatures. In 2022, England’s average temperature also reached a new record high, at nearly 11 degrees Celsius. And while it’s not a typical sight in the United Kingdom, England also registered the most hours of sunshine on average, with Scotland being the gloomiest country out of the four.

The UK daily temperature data contain maximum and minimum temperatures (air, grass and concrete slab) measured over a period of up to 24 hours. The measurements were recorded by observation stations operated by the Met Office across the UK and transmitted within NCM, DLY3208 or AWSDLY messages. The data span from 1853 to 2023. For details on measurement techniques, including calibration information and changes in measurements, see section 5.2 of the MIDAS User Guide linked to from this record. Soil temperature data may be found in the UK soil temperature datasets linked from this record. This version supersedes the previous version of this dataset and a change log is available in the archive, and in the linked documentation for this record, detailing the differences between this version and the previous version. The change logs detail new, replaced and removed data. These include the addition of data for calendar year 2023. This dataset is part of the Midas-open dataset collection made available by the Met Office under the UK Open Government Licence, containing only UK mainland land surface observations owned or operated by the Met Office. It is a subset of the fuller, restricted Met Office Integrated Data Archive System (MIDAS) Land and Marine Surface Stations dataset, also available through the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis - see the related dataset section on this record. Currently this represents approximately 95% of available daily temperature observations within the full MIDAS collection.

The UK daily temperature data describe maximum and minimum temperatures (air, grass and concrete slab) measured over a period of up to 24 hours. The measurements are recorded by observation stations across the UK and transmitted within NCM or DLY3208 or AWSDLY messages. The data span from 1853 to present.

The United Kingdom's average minimum temperature in July 2021 measured 12.1 degrees Celsius. This month, recorded the highest minimum temperature during the reported period. Since 2015, the lowest monthly minimum temperature in the UK was recorded in February 2018, at -0.7 degrees Celsius. This was the first time during this period that the average monthly minimum temperature dropped below zero degrees Celsius, while in January 2021 the second time took place, at -0.5 degrees Celsius. Further information about the weather in the United Kingdom can be found here.

Core MD95-2042 alkenone and GDGT data: This dataset provides the following information for core MD95-2042: depth, age, summed OH-GDGT, iGDGT, and di-unsaturated and tri-unsaturated C₃₇ alkenone concentrations, OH-GDGT-based, iGDGT-based, and alkenone-based paleothermometric indices, GDGT-2/GDGT-3 ratio, and biomarker-based sea surface temperature (SST) and 0‐ to 200‐m sea temperature (subT; gamma function probability distribution for target temperatures with a = 4.5 and b = 15) estimates. Sediment samples were taken every 5 cm from core MD95-2042 and homogenized before lipid extraction. The lipid extracts were splitted into two fractions: one for alkenone analysis by gas chromatography coupled to a flame ionization detector, and the other for GDGT analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. All GDGT analyses were done in duplicate. The 1σ analytical uncertainties from 37 replicate analyses of the core catcher sample from core MD95-2042 are 0.007 (0.4 °C) for RI-OH, 0.008 (0.2 °C) for RI-OH′, 0.003 (0.2 °C) for TEX₈₆, 0.238 for GDGT-2/GDGT-3, and 0.010 (0.26 °C) for U^K′₃₇. RI-OH′-SST estimates are from the following global calibration: SST = (RI-OH′ + 0.029)/0.0422 (Fietz et al., 2020). RI-OH-SST estimates are from the following global calibration: SST = (RI-OH − 1.11)/0.018 (Lü et al., 2015). TEX₈₆^H-SST estimates are from the following regional paleocalibration: SST = 68.4 × TEX₈₆^H + 33.0 (Darfeuil et al., 2016). U^K′₃₇-SST estimates are from the following global calibration: SST = 29.876 × U^K′₃₇ − 1.334 (Conte et al., 2006). Bayesian calibrations were also used for TEX₈₆-SST and TEX₈₆-subT estimates (BAYSPAR; Tierney & Tingley, 2014, 2015) and for U^K′₃₇-SST estimates (BAYSPLINE; Tierney & Tingley, 2018). Alkenone data covering the 160–70 and 70–0 ka BP periods are from Davtian et al. (2021) and Darfeuil et al. (2016), respectively. GDGT data covering the 160–45 ka BP period are from Davtian et al. (2021). The age model of core MD95-2042 for the 160–43 and 43–0 ka BP periods was obtained by tuning to Chinese speleothems (Cheng et al., 2016) and by recalibrating existing ¹⁴C ages with the Marine20 calibration curve (Heaton et al., 2020), respectively. MIS, Marine Isotope Stage; GDGT, glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether; and N/A, not available.

Greenland atmospheric temperature record: This dataset consists in a composite Greenland atmospheric temperature record, which was built with the following records: the GISP2 atmospheric temperature record by Kobashi et al. (2017) for the 10–0 ka BP period, the NGRIP atmospheric temperature record by Kindler et al. (2014) for the 120–10 ka BP period, and the NEEM atmospheric temperature record by NEEM community members (2013) for the 129–120 ka BP period. The NEEM temperature anomalies obtained by NEEM community members (2013) were shifted by –31 °C to obtain absolute air temperatures. The employed age model is the one of Davtian and Bard (2023) for Greenland and Antarctic ice-core records.

Antarctic δ¹⁸O_ice and atmospheric temperature stacks: This dataset consists in two stacks of three Antarctic records (EDC, EDML, and WD), one for δ¹⁸O_ice and the other for atmospheric temperature: both stacks are provided with their stacking uncertainties. To build the Antarctic δ¹⁸O_ice stack, the Antarctic δ¹⁸O_ice records were resampled every 10 years before centering to zero means and normalization to unit standard deviations over the 140–0 ka BP period (68–0 ka BP for WD). To optimize the continuity between the portions with and without the WD ice core, the Antarctic δ¹⁸O_ice records were centered to zero means over the 68–67 ka BP period. The resulting Antarctic δ¹⁸O_ice records were then averaged and stacking uncertainties were calculated as the pooled standard deviation of the stacked Antarctic δ¹⁸O_ice records divided by the square root of the number of stacked Antarctic δ¹⁸O_ice records. The final Antarctic δ¹⁸O_ice stack, expressed in ‰, has the same standard deviation as the δ¹⁸O_ice record from EDML over the 140–0 ka BP period, and has a zero mean over the 1–0 ka BP. The Antarctic atmospheric temperature stack was built like the Antarctic δ¹⁸O_ice stack, except that the Antarctic δ¹⁸O_ice records were corrected for seawater δ¹⁸O_ice variations before conversion into atmospheric temperature. The employed age model is the one of Davtian and Bard (2023) for Greenland and Antarctic ice-core records.

The UK hourly weather observation data contain meteorological values measured on an hourly time scale. The measurements of the concrete state, wind speed and direction, cloud type and amount, visibility, and temperature were recorded by observation stations operated by the Met Office across the UK and transmitted within SYNOP, DLY3208, AWSHRLY and NCM messages. The sunshine duration measurements were transmitted in the HSUN3445 message. The data spans from 1875 to 2021.

This version supersedes the previous version of this dataset and a change log is available in the archive, and in the linked documentation for this record, detailing the differences between this version and the previous version. The change logs detail new, replaced and removed data. These include the addition of data for calendar year 2021, and additional historical data for Sheffield (South Yorkshire, 1882-1935).

For details on observing practice see the message type information in the MIDAS User Guide linked from this record and relevant sections for parameter types.

This dataset is part of the Midas-open dataset collection made available by the Met Office under the UK Open Government Licence, containing only UK mainland land surface observations owned or operated by Met Office. It is a subset of the fuller, restricted Met Office Integrated Data Archive System (MIDAS) Land and Marine Surface Stations dataset, also available through the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis - see the related dataset section on this record. Note, METAR message types are not included in the Open version of this dataset. Those data may be accessed via the full MIDAS hourly weather data.

The UK soil temperature data contain daily and hourly values of soil temperatures at depths of 5, 10, 20, 30, 50, and 100 centimetres. The measurements were recorded by observation stations operated by the Met Office across the UK and transmitted within NCM or DLY3208 messages. The data spans from 1900 to 2023.

This version supersedes the previous version of this dataset and a change log is available in the archive, and in the linked documentation for this record, detailing the differences between this version and the previous version. The change logs detail new, replaced and removed data. These include the addition of data for calendar year 2023.

At many stations temperatures below the surface are measured at various depths. The depths used today are 5, 10, 20, 30 and 100cm, although measurements are not necessarily made at all these depths at a station and exceptionally measurements may be made at other depths. When imperial units were in general use, typically before 1961, the normal depths of measurement were 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 inches.

Liquid-in-glass soil thermometers at a depth of 20 cm or less are unsheathed and have a bend in the stem between the bulb and the lowest graduation. At greater depths the thermometer is suspended in a steel tube and has its bulb encased in wax.

This dataset is part of the Midas-open dataset collection made available by the Met Office under the UK Open Government Licence, containing only UK mainland land surface observations owned or operated by the Met Office. It is a subset of the fuller, restricted Met Office Integrated Data Archive System (MIDAS) Land and Marine Surface Stations dataset, also available through the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis - see the related dataset section on this record.

The annual mean temperature in the United Kingdom has fluctuated greatly since 1990. Temperatures during this period were at their highest in 2022, surpassing 10 degrees Celsius. In 2010, the mean annual temperature stood at 7.94 degrees, the lowest recorded during this time. Daily temperatures Average daily temperatures have remained stable since the turn of the century, rarely dropping below 10 degrees Celsius. In 2010, they dropped to a low of nine degrees Celsius. The peak average daily temperature was recorded in 2022 when it reached 11.2 degrees. This was an increase of one degree Celsius compared to the long-term mean, and the most positive deviation during the period of consideration. Highs and lows The maximum average temperature recorded across the UK since 2015 was in July 2018. This month saw a maximum temperature of 22.6 degrees Celsius. In comparison, the lowest monthly minimum temperature was in February of the same year, at just minus 0.6 degrees. This was an especially cold February, as the previous year the minimum temperature for this month was 2.6 degrees.

The longest available instrumental record of temperature in the world is now available at the BADC. The daily data starts in 1772. The mean, minimum and maximum datasets are updated monthly, with data for a month usually available by the 3rd of the next month. A provisional CET value for the current month is calculated on a daily basis. The mean daily data series begins in 1772. Mean maximum and minimum daily and monthly data are also available, beginning in 1878. Yearly files are provided from 1998 onwards. These historical temperature series are representative of the Midlands region in England, UK (a roughly triangular area of the United Kingdom enclosed by Bristol, Lancashire and London). The following stations are used by the Met Office to compile the CET data: Rothamsted, Malvern, Squires Gate and Ringway. But in November 2004, the weather station Stonyhurst replaced Ringway and revised urban warming and bias adjustments have now been applied to the Stonyhurst data after a period of reduced reliability from the station in the summer months. The data set is compiled by the Met Office Hadley Centre.

During glacial terminations, the role of cross-equatorial currents in the northward spreading of warm and salty waters is essential to the reach of the following interglacial state. In the western tropical Atlantic, where the interhemispheric North Brazil current develops, most of the existing temperature records focused on the last deglaciation. Here, using a marine sediment core covering the last 305 kyr before present (BP), we present two records of the surface (mixed layer) and the subsurface (upper thermocline) temperatures based on organic proxies UK'37 and TEXH86 respectively. During the last three glacial terminations, these records exhibit large temperature increases especially in the subsurface layer. We suggest the combined influence of the thermal bipolar seesaw and the Agulhas Leakage, acting together to warm the interior South Atlantic, to explain the strong warming of the tropical western Atlantic thermocline (+ 5°C) during these periods of reduced AMOC. In addition, we propose an enhanced cross-equatorial gyre to elucidate the synchronous deglacial warming of the western and eastern sides of the tropical Atlantic. The resumption of the AMOC at the onset of the following interglacial leads to the release of heat stored in thermocline waters mainly in the whole South Atlantic, as highlighted by the sharp upper ocean cooling recorded at the end of the deglacial interval. The combination of this temperature record and previously published ones in the western tropical Atlantic confirms the strong sensitivity of the upper ocean to AMOC changes in this region.

This dataset has been extracted as part of an exercise to assemble "all" Cefas Temperature Data and publish it in a Data paper. It is one of 17 Cefas data sources assembled. Electronic tags that record temperature and depth were attached to, or implanted into, cod caught in the southern North Sea between 1999 and 2009 (for methods see Neat et al., 2014). Data from tags that were returned from recaptured cod were downloaded and the depth time series was used to estimate daily geographic location.

This dataset has been extracted as part of an exercise to assemble "all" Cefas Temperature Data and publish it in a Data paper. It is one of 17 Cefas data sources assembled. The mid and late 20th century saw extensive oceanographic research by DFS and Cefas. The resulting data were stored in an Oceanographic Archive which managed data from a number of sensor systems. These included a CTD system deployed for traditional oceanographic water column profiling. The CTD data have been transferred to the Cefas Data Hub as parameters. The original source files contain water column profile data on temperature, salinity, suspended load and fluoresence derived chlorophyll. This metadata record covers UK Continental Shelf and temperature only.