England and Wales have broken temperature records this spring, with provisional Met Office data confirming the warmest three-month period since measurements began in 1884.
The average temperature across England reached 10.41C during meteorological spring, which spans March through May.
This surpasses the previous high of 10.23C set just 12 months ago by 0.18C.
Scotland recorded its eighth-warmest spring during the same period.
Northern Ireland experienced conditions ranking as its joint-sixth-warmest on record.
Taking the nation as a whole, the UK registered its third-warmest spring since comparable records began more than 140 years ago.
An exceptional heatwave during the final days of May proved instrumental in pushing temperatures to unprecedented levels.
Parts of the country experienced six straight days where the mercury climbed above 30C.
England and Wales have broken temperature records this spring
|GETTY
This remarkable late-season heat spell shattered long-standing records across multiple locations throughout the UK.
The record-breaking spring means that the three hottest springs ever documented now fall in consecutive years, with 2026 claiming the top position, followed by 2025 and 2024.
Each of the three months comprising meteorological spring individually ranked among the UK's ten warmest on record, despite conditions varying considerably throughout the season.
Met Office scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said: "This spring highlights both the natural variability of the UK's weather and the longer-term warming we are observing."
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Provisional Met Office data confirming the warmest three-month period since measurements began in 1884
|GETTY
Dr Carlisle added: "While conditions varied through the season, all three months of meteorological spring recorded mean temperatures within the UK’s top 10 warmest on record.
"While we expect fluctuations from year to year, this spring shows some of the changes we’re seeing in our weather patterns, with more extreme conditions becoming more frequent.
"The fact that nine of the 10 warmest springs in England have occurred since 2007 illustrates this ongoing shift in the UK’s climate.”
"The fact that nine of the 10 warmest springs in England have occurred since 2007 illustrates this ongoing shift in the UK's climate."
The average temperature across England reached 10.41C during meteorological spring, which spans March through May
|GETTY
The Met Office research indicates record-breaking May temperatures are now approximately three times more likely under current climate conditions compared to a natural climate unaffected by greenhouse gas emissions.
The Environment Agency has scheduled a National Drought Group meeting for the coming weeks to evaluate the impact of recent extreme weather conditions.
Helen Wakeham, Environment Agency Director of Water and chair of the group, confirmed: "No parts of England are currently in drought, but the risk increases the longer it remains hot and dry."
Several counties in southern and eastern England received barely a third of typical spring rainfall, with Essex recording just 34 per cent and both Kent and Suffolk receiving only 33 per cent of their long-term averages.
Ms Wakeham warned the heatwave had triggered significant spikes in water demand whilst river flows declined and reservoir levels dropped.
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