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.

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 daily average temperature in the United Kingdom (UK) has remained relatively stable since 2001, with temperatures rarely straying below 10 degrees Celsius. In 2023, the UK had an average daily temperature of 11.1 degrees Celsius. This was the second-highest average daily temperature recorded since the turn of the century.

British summertime

Britain is not known for its blisteringly hot summer months, with the average temperatures in this season varying greatly since 1990. In 1993, the average summer temperature was as low as 13.39 degrees Celsius, whilst 2018 saw a peak of 15.8 degrees Celsius. In that same year, the highest mean temperature occurred in July at 17.2 degrees Celsius.

Variable weather

Due to its location and the fact that it is an island, the United Kingdom experiences a diverse range of weather, sometimes in the same day. It is in an area where five air masses meet, creating a weather front. Each brings different weather conditions, such as hot, dry air from North Africa and wet and cold air from the Arctic. Temperatures across the UK tend to be warmest in England.

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 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.

Monthly maximum temperatures in the United Kingdom (UK) tend to follow a similar pattern, with maximum temperatures typically highest in July and August. The warmest maximum temperature was in July 2018, at 22.6 degrees Celsius. During this period the lowest maximum temperature, 4.9 degrees Celsius, was measured in January 2021.

England's highest monthly mean air temperatures are typically recorded in July and August of each year. Since 2015, the warmest mean temperature was measured in July 2018 at 18.8 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, February of that same year registered the coolest temperature, at 2.6 degrees Celsius. In February 2025, the mean air temperature was five degrees Celsius, 50 percent lower than the same month the previous year. The English weather England is the warmest region in the United Kingdom and the driest. In 2024, the average annual temperature in England amounted to 10.73 degrees Celsius – around 1.1 degrees above the national mean. That same year, precipitation in England stood at about 1,020 millimeters. By contrast, Scotland – the wettest region in the UK – recorded over 1,500 millimeters of rainfall in 2024. Temperatures on the rise Throughout the last decades, the average temperature in the United Kingdom has seen an upward trend, reaching a record high in 2022. Global temperatures have experienced a similar pattern over the same period. This gradual increase in the Earth's average temperature is primarily due to various human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, which lead to the emission of greenhouse gases. This phenomenon has severe consequences, including more frequent and intense weather events, rising sea levels, and adverse effects on human health and the environment.

England's hottest summers ever recorded were in 2022 and 2018, both with an average temperature of 17.1 degrees Celsius. During summer 2022, record-breaking temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius were reached at several locations in England, such as Heathrow and St James's Park in London.

While 2023 ranked as England's second-hottest year in over a century, the highest mean temperature in the country was recorded one year earlier, at an average of 10.93 degrees Celsius. This was almost one degree warmer than the average UK temperature that year. England's hottest ever summer was also recorded in 2022, with temperatures averaging 17.1 degrees Celsius. Nine of England's 10 hottest years have all been recorded since 2006.

The mean annual temperature in the United Kingdom was 9.97 degrees Celsius in 2023, an increase of 0.83 degrees Celsius compared to the the mean temperature from 1991 to 2020. In the same year, England had the highest annual mean temperature in the UK, at almost 11 degrees Celsius.

Since January 2015, the highest maximum monthly temperature in England was measured in July 2018, at 24.8 degrees Celsius. July temperatures declined in the following years, and measured 20.6 degrees Celsius in 2024. Further information about the weather in the United Kingdom can be found here.

The average temperature across the United Kingdom presented a trend of continuous growth since 1961. During the first period, from 1961 to 1990, the country recorded an average temperature of 8.3 degrees Celsius. In the next period, from 1991 to 2020, the UK's average temperature increased by 0.8 degrees Celsius and increased further by 0.5 degrees Celsius between 2014 and 2023. In the latter year, figures remained at 10 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees warmer than the average recorded between 1961 and 1990, illustrating the effects of climate change. Nevertheless, 2022 was the warmest year in the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom recorded an average temperature of 10 degrees Celsius in 2023, the highest mean temperature since 1961. Throughout the period in consideration, England experienced the hottest temperatures on average. Furthermore, in each country across the United Kingdom, the average temperature between 2014 and 2023 was warmer than the average for 1961 to 1990.

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.

In 2024, the average summer temperature in the United Kingdom was 14.37 degrees Celsius. Over the time period from 1990 through 2024, the average summer temperature in the UK fluctuated from a low of 13.39 degrees in 1993 to a high of 15.76 degrees in 2018.

The wettest months in the United Kingdom tend to be at the start and end of the year. In the period of consideration, the greatest measurement of rainfall was nearly 217 millimeters, recorded in December 2015. The lowest level of rainfall was recorded in April 2021, at 20.6 millimeters. Rainy days The British Isles are known for their wet weather, and in 2024 there were approximately 164 rain days in the United Kingdom. A rainday is when more than one millimeter of rain falls within a day. Over the past 30 years, the greatest number of rain days was recorded in the year 2000. In that year, the average annual rainfall in the UK amounted to 1,242.1 millimeters. Climate change According to the Met Office, climate change in the United Kingdom has resulted in the weather getting warmer and wetter. In 2022, the annual average temperature in the country reached a new record high, surpassing 10 degrees Celsius for the first time. This represented an increase of nearly two degrees Celsius when compared to the annual average temperature recorded in 1910. In a recent survey conducted amongst UK residents, almost 80 percent of respondents had concerns about climate change.

The lowest average daily sun hours in the United Kingdom typically occur in January and December. The highest daily sun hours recorded since 2015 was in May 2020, at an average of 9.7 hours per day. In comparison, May 2024 saw 5.6 hours of daily sunshine. High levels of monthly sunlight in 2018 Since 2014, the pattern of total monthly hours of sunlight remained relatively similar up until 2018. That year there was a noticeable increase in sunlight hours in May, June and July – with May recording 241 hours of sunlight. The following year the pattern returned to normal, but a significant increase was again recorded in 2020. Annual sun hours The average annual number of daily sun hours in the UK has remained above four hours per day since 2001, but has not increased above five. Daily sun hours were highest in 2003 at 4.9 hours per day. The following years saw sun hours remain at a similar level, until figures increased again to 4.9 hours in 2022.

Since 2015, maximum temperatures in Wales peaked in July 2018, at 22.6 degrees Celsius. Throughout this period, July and August typically have the highest maximum temperatures.

The monthly mean temperature in Wales follows a similar pattern and is typically the highest in July and August. The warmest monthly mean temperature since 2015 was measured in July 2018 at 17.2 degrees Celsius.

Health spas often provide a variety of facilities from indoor swimming pools and hot tubs, to massages and beauty treatments. In a 2023 survey in the United Kingdom, over one third of respondents stated that they looked at the facilities for things like a swimming pool and relaxation space when making a decision to book one spa day over another. Meanwhile, just under 10 percent of respondents read up on reviews and ratings when making their decision.