2024 was Britain’s fourth warmest year on record RECORD: Average British temperature was 0.64°C above average – and scientists say climate change is to blame
With Britain in the middle of an Arctic blast, it may be hard to believe.
But the Met Office has revealed that 2024 was currently the fourth warmest year on record for Britain.
The average temperature last year reached a balmy 9.78°C, which is 0.64°C above the 1991-2020 average.
This means that 2024 is the fourth warmest year for Britain after 2022, 2023 and 2014.
According to the Met Office, all ten of the warmest years have been since the year 2000, with five in the most recent decade, 2015-2024.
Furthermore, every year of the most recent decade has been warmer than the long-term average of 1991-2020.
“With 2024 joining the top ten warmest years in Britain’s annual temperature series, this is yet another clear illustration that our climate is currently changing, and we are continuing to follow this warming curve,” says Mike . Kendon.
“The fact that all ten of the most recent years were above the 1991-2020 average shows that this recent period, entirely within my own adult life, is a stark reminder of how quickly our climate is changing.”
With Britain in the middle of an Arctic blast, it may be hard to believe. But the Met Office has revealed that 2024 was currently the fourth warmest year on record for Britain
Christmas Day was extremely mild. Dyce, Aberdeen saw mild temperatures of 14.2°C on December 25, while minimum temperatures in northern Scotland remained above 10°C
Of the twelve months of the year, eight had temperatures above average, including the warmest May on record, the second warmest February and the fifth warmest December.
On January 28, Achfary, Sutherland recorded a staggering temperature of 19.9°C – a record for January in Britain.
Christmas Day was also extremely mild.
Dyce, Aberdeen experienced mild temperatures of 14.2°C on December 25, while minimum temperatures in northern Scotland remained above 10°C.
“2024 was another year with minimum temperatures well above average,” Kendon said.
‘We have experienced some particularly mild nights and much less frost than normal, especially in February and December.’
In terms of rainfall, 2024 was a relatively wet year, with Britain recording 1,242mm – 107 percent of average.
Parts of central southern England were worst affected by this wet weather, with Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire each recording their second wettest year in records from 1836.
Last year was the warmest May on record, the second warmest February and the fifth warmest December
Meanwhile, 2024 was a rather dull year with only 1,274 hours of sunshine – 91 percent of average.
Last year, Britain was also hit by a number of notable storms, causing flooding, fallen trees, power cuts, transport disruptions and a number of fatalities.
Mr Kendon hopes the news will highlight how quickly our climate is changing.
“We haven’t had a top ten coldest years in Britain since 1963,” he said.
‘Britain receives weather influences from all directions, and we all know how changeable our weather can often be from one day to the next.
‘However, the long-term pattern in the observations is undeniable: the global climate is warming and there is clear evidence of this in the British temperature series.
‘We are moving beyond the boundaries of historical observations.’
The news comes shortly after the Copernicus Climate Change Service revealed that 2024 will be ‘effectively certain’ to be the hottest year on record.
“We can now confirm with near certainty that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first calendar year above 1.5°C,” said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S.
“This doesn’t mean the Paris Agreement has been violated, but it does mean that ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever.”