UK weather – Met Office reveals last decade was ‘second HOTTEST in 100 years’ – The Sun
THE LAST decade was the second hottest in 100 years, the Met Office has revealed.
Eight high-temperature records were set during the last ten years, according to the forecaster.
And with the climate expected to continue to warm, more records could be broken, experts have warned.
The Met Office said on Friday that the 10 years from 2010 to 2019 had been the second warmest and second wettest decade in the country over the past 100 years, slightly behind 2000 to 2009.
In July 2019, people in Cambridge sweltered in the heat as the town shattered the record for the hottest day in Britain, with temperatures reaching a high of 38.7C.
Dr Mark McCarthy, head of the National Climate Information Centre, said: "It is notable how many of these extreme records have been set in the most recent decade and how many more of them are reflecting high rather than low-temperature extremes: a consequence of our warming climate."
Since 2010, records for the hottest daily temperature were set for February, July, October, November and December.
The Met Office also recorded the highest minimum temperature for January, February and April over the past decade.
In February, NASA said that 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 had been the four hottest years on record since 1880.
The Met Office said that 2019 was provisionally the 11th warmest year on record, with a mean average temperature of 9.42C.
Dr McCarthy added: "We are expecting the warming trend to continue through the 21st century and we would expect these sorts of records subsequently to be broken in the future."
The Met Office said the last ten years also hold the record for the second wettest decade in the past 100 years.
2019 was the 11th wettest on record, with mean average rainfall of 1,240.1mm. The highest mean average rainfall was 1,337.3 in 2000.
Millions of Brits battled severe flooding in December as heavy rain submerged roads and damaged homes across the country.
Some counties including Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and parts of south Yorkshire have had rainfall figures over the past year which has put them in the top five, the Met Office added.
Dr McCarthy said the UK can expect wetter winters and drier summers in the future.
He said: "We have observed a general increase in rainfall in recent decades but that's not evenly distributed so not everyone in the country has experienced this.
"We are expecting to see an increase in winter rainfall, so wetter winters and drier summers – but we could still experience some dry winters and wet summers."
The effects of global warming have in recent years seen average temperatures rising around the world.
The UK Government has said fighting climate change is a "national priority".
It has set a target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
A Government spokesman said: "Since 1990, we have reduced our emissions by over 40% while growing the economy by over two thirds.
"But we are determined to do more to increase the momentum and drive ambitious action both in the run up to and at this year's COP26 talks in Glasgow."
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