Britain enjoys its second sunniest year since records began
Britain enjoys its second sunniest year since records began in 1929 with 1575 hours of sunshine as forecasters say climate change will make long hot summers more likely
- Sustained spell of high pressure made May brightest ever, with 246 hours of sun
- System continued through June and July, contributing significantly to the total
- High annual temperature means 2018 could be among the 10 hottest on record
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Britain has enjoyed its second sunniest year since records began with 1575 hours of sunshine – as forecasters say climate change will make long hot summers more likely in the future.
The figure means 2018 beats the 1566 hours clocked in 1995 – although the last week of December looks unlikely to provide enough rays to overhaul 2003’s record of 1587 hours.
A sustained spell of high pressure made May the brightest ever, with 246 hours of sunshine, and this system continued through the long days of June and July, contributing significantly to the annual total.
The sun rises over Arne in Dorset this morning as the news emerged that 2018 will be the second sunniest on record
By contrast, December has been the dullest month – with only 34 hours of sunshine so far.
The UK mean temperature in 2018 will be somewhere between 9.4 and 9.5 °C.
The last few days of December will make all the difference between 2018 finishing just inside or just outside the top ten warmest years on record.
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If 2018 does make it in to the top ten, it will mean that every one of the hottest ten years will have been in this century.
The Met Office told MailOnline it was impossible to attribute one weather event to global warming, but that the phenomena was likely to make similar summer heatwaves more likely in the future.
The hottest month of 2018 was July, with an average temperature of 17.3 °C, with February coldest at an average 2.4 °C.
The map on the left shows sunshine duration in 2018 compared to the average for 1981 to 2010. The one on the right details the difference between average temperatures in 2018 compared to the same time period
A sustained spell of high pressure made May the brightest ever, with 246 hours of sunshine. Pictured is the sun rising this morning over Shipstal Beach at Arne in Dorset
Warmest years in the UK since 1910
Mean Annual Temp (°C)
9.9
9.7
9.6
9.6
9.6
9.5
9.5
9.5
9.5
9.4
Year
2014
2006
2011
2007
2017
2003
2004
2002
2005
1990
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Although it has been a drier than average year, it has not been exceptionally dry overall, with the UK receiving close to 90% of average annual rainfall.
Winter and spring were somewhat wetter than average, but were followed by an extended summer dry spell.
The rainfall amount in 2018 compared to the average for 1981 to 2010
June was the driest month, with an average of 35mm falling across the UK – but parts of southern England were particularly dry, experiencing the lowest rainfall for over 100 years.
January was the wettest, with 134mm of rain.
Dr Mark McCarthy, head of the Met Office National Climate Information Centre, said: ‘The last week of December will be of significant interest to us in finding out where 2018 ranks in terms of historic average annual temperatures.
‘We experienced some memorable extremes of hot and cold weather this year – the summer heatwave contrasted sharply with the freezing conditions during the so-called “Beast from the East” in February and March.
‘However, even if the last few days of December are cool enough to keep 2018 out of the all-time hottest top 10, the overall story for the year fits into the general warming trend we have seen in the century so far.’
Sunshine records for Britain date back to 1929.
The last few days of the month will make all the difference between 2018 finishing just inside or just outside the top ten warmest on record. Pictured: Woods in Arne, Dorset, this morning
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