The Met Office has confirmed that the UK experienced its hottest June on record, with an average monthly temperature of 15.8°C. This surpassed the previous highest average June temperature, recorded in 1940 and 1976, by 0.9°C. Scientists also noted that climate change doubled the likelihood of surpassing the previous joint record. Temperature records were broken in 72 out of 97 areas across the UK where temperature data is collected.
Not only did the UK set a new record for the hottest June overall, but England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each recorded their warmest June since data collection began in 1884. Mark McCarthy from the Met Office stated, “It’s officially the hottest June on record for the UK, for mean temperature as well as the average maximum and minimum temperature.”
While last summer saw a higher one-off temperature of 40.3°C in the UK, what made last month notable was the sustained heat throughout both day and night. Rainfall was also significantly below average, with only 68% of the typical June rainfall. Wales, in particular, experienced exceptionally dry conditions, receiving just over half of its average monthly rainfall.
The Met Office utilised a supercomputer to analyze the temperatures and identify the influence of climate change on weather patterns. Paul Davies, the Met Office’s Climate Extremes Principal Fellow and Chief Meteorologist, emphasized the significance of the 0.9°C increase in average temperature for the entire UK, highlighting its impacts on society.
The consequences of the scorching June extended beyond temperature records. The dry and warm weather had adverse effects on wildlife and nature, with reports of fish deaths and wilting flowering plants. Environmental groups expressed concerns about the continuous pounding of extreme weather on nature, leaving little opportunity for recovery.
Climate change, driven by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, is causing more frequent and intense extreme weather events globally. The Earth’s atmosphere has warmed by approximately 1.1°C since the industrial revolution, primarily due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels. Last year’s temperatures exceeding 40°C in the UK were deemed virtually impossible without the influence of climate change.
