Forget the freeze, we’ve had 5th warmest year on record

BRITAIN has basked in the fifth warmest year since records began more than a century ago, the Met Office has confirmed.

The overall temperature this year was 9.56C (around 49F) – about 0.72C above the average, according to provisional Government statistics.

This year has been milder than 2015 and 2016 although slightly cooler than 2014, 2011, 2007 and 2006 – all of which have been warmer than average.

The mean temperature for England over the past 12 months was 10.42C, 0.77C above the long-term average. Wales saw an average of 9.9C while the mean temperature for Scotland over the past year was 8.1C.

Britain has received a slightly lower than average rainfall since the start of 2017 with about 44in falling since January.

Scotland has been the driest region getting just 94.9 per cent of the average rainfall with Wales seeing 98.5 per cent and England 96 per cent. Dr Mark McCarthy, manager of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre, said: “Although the year is likely to be the fifth warmest in the UK since 1910, many people will probably remember the year for some of its more notable weather events.

“Events like ex-hurricane Ophelia, which in October brought high winds and disruption to parts of Ireland and the UK, and memorably for some drew up dust from the Sahara and smoke from the wildfires in Iberia, giving us the appearance of sunset at midday.” Although early December was cold and snowy the mean UK temperature for the month is still 0.4C above average, according to Government analysts.

The UK received just over three-quarters of the long-term rainfall expected for the month, the Met Office said.

Tim Legg, of the National Climate Information Centre, said “Many places have had a rather dry month, especially eastern areas from Lincolnshire to Aberdeenshire.”