UK sees sunniest year ever in 2025
The United Kingdom, often associated with grey skies and damp weather, recorded its sunniest year on record in 2025, meteorologists announced Wednesday.
Up to 15 December, the country saw an average of 1,622 hours of sunshine, surpassing the previous record set in 2003, the Met Office said, News.Az reports, citing WAM.
The record was driven by “exceptional” sunshine during spring and extended periods of clear skies in the summer, the weather agency explained. High-pressure systems frequently reduced cloud cover, bringing sunny skies across much of the country.
These long spells of clear weather contributed to Britain experiencing its hottest summer on record. In September, the Met Office reported that the mean summer temperature reached 16.10°C, exceeding the previous record of 15.76°C set in 2018.
Scientists have long warned that human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and intense weather events globally.
However, the Met Office said in Wednesday’s statement that “climate projections currently show no definitive evidence of a future trend in sunshine amounts due to climate change.”
The agency noted that the UK has generally become sunnier since the 1980s, although the reasons remain uncertain. “It may simply be down to natural variability, though reduced aerosols could be a factor,” the statement said.
In contrast, 2024 had been the dullest year for sunshine in the UK since 1998.
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