The UK has recorded its warmest spring on record and its driest in more than 50 years, according to provisional Met Office figures.
Provisional figures showed this spring’s average temperature of 9.5C was above the long-term climatological average by 1.4C.
It comes after the forecaster warned the UK could be hit by heatwaves and it was twice as likely the country would experience a hot summer.
“The data clearly shows that recent decades have been warmer, sunnier, and often drier than the 20th century average,” Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said.
“This spring shows some of the changes we’re seeing in our weather patterns, with more extreme conditions, including prolonged dry, sunny weather.”
Eight of the 10 warmest UK springs have occurred since the year 2000, and the three warmest springs have all occurred since 2017, the agency said.
Temperatures in the UK provisionally averaged 9.51C across March, April and May, just above the previous spring record of 9.37C, which was set only last year.
The next warmest springs were in 2011 (9.12C), 2014 (9.02C) and 2007 (9.02C). Met Office temperature data begins in 1884.
Meanwhile, the Met Office’s three-month outlook shows it is 2.3 times more likely than normal that the UK will be hot over meteorological summer, which begins on 1 June and ends on 31 August.
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