Scientists say 10 warmest UK years have all been since 2002

Scientists say 10 warmest UK years have all been since 2002
A member of the Queen's Lifeguard marches at Horse guards Parade as temperatures rose far above 30 Celsius (86F) in London, Thursday, July 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Britain's weather service says the country's 10 hottest years since the 19th century have all occurred since 2002, as climate change makes the U.K. warmer and wetter.

The Met Office said in its State of the U.K. Climate report Wednesday that 2014 was the warmest year in records going back to 1884. The runners-up are 2006, 2011, 2007, 2017, 2003, 2018, 2004, 2002 and 2005.

The 10 coldest years were all before 1964.

Commenting on the report, published in the International Journal of Climatology, St. Andrews University climate scientist Michael Byrne said the trend was "hugely significant, though not surprising" since the world has warmed by 1 degree Celsius since pre-industrial times.

Britain is also getting wetter, with 13% more summer rain falling in the 21st century than the 20th.

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Citation: Scientists say 10 warmest UK years have all been since 2002 (2019, July 31) retrieved 9 May 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2019-07-scientists-warmest-uk-years.html
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