Cold weather fails to dent record of 2017 being one of the warmest

Despite the cold snap, this year is set to be Britain’s fifth-warmest on record, weather experts have said.

The average temperature for 2017 will be warmer than both 2015 and 2016, but will be cooler than 2014, 2006, 2011 and 2007.

The nine warmest years since 1910 have occurred after 2000, with 2014 clinching the title as the hottest when the mean temperature was 9.91C, the Met Office said.

Provisional figures for the past 12 months suggest the mean UK temperature will be 9.56C, or 0.72C above the 1981-2010 long-term average.

Despite recent snowfall and plunging temperatures, the Met Office said the mean temperature for December is likely to be 0.4C above the 1981-2010 long-term average.

And with warnings of heavy rain across the new year weekend, the forecaster said the UK has only received 78% of precipitation expected for December so far.

Tim Legg, of the Met Office, said: “Many places have had a rather dry month.” Much of the rainfall was recorded during mid-December and the final week.

The forecaster added that when considered as a whole, 2017 has been a rather average year for rain, with a UK-wide average rainfall of just 1,106.8mm – 95.9% of the long-term average.

Many places have had a rather dry month. MET OFFICE