UK records highest-ever average annual temperature amid climate crisis

In the United Kingdom, the average annual temperature crossed 10 degree Celsius for the first time in 2022, the UK Met Office revealed. Thisis the first time that the average temperature has reached double figures in the UK.Britain's mean temperature in 2022 was 10.03 degree Celsius, more than 9.88 degree Celsius, the previous high recorded in 2014.

All four nations in the United Kingdom; England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland recorded new all-time highs, with mean temperatures rising to 10.94 degree Celsius in England, 10.23 degree Celsius in Wales, 9.85 degree Celsius in Northern Ireland and 8.5 degree Celsius in Scotland.

Dr Mark McCarthy, the head of Met Office’s national climate information centre, said that "human-induced global warming" was to blame.

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"Although an arbitrary number, the UK surpassing an annual average temperature of 10 degree Celsiusis a notable moment in our climatological history," McCarthy was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

"This moment comes as no surprise, since 1884 all the 10 years recording the highest annual temperature have occurred from 2003. It is clear from the observational record that human-induced global warming is already impacting the UK's climate," he added.

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Of Britain’s 20 warmest years on record, 15 have occurred in the 21st century and the top 10 have been within the last two decades.

Experts cited in the UK media said that warm conditions that would be expected once every 500 years without global warming caused by human activity, are now likely every three to four years.

Met Office experts said the warm conditions would be expected once every 500 years without global warming caused by human activity, but are now likely every three to four years.

Dr Nikos Christidis, a climate attribution scientist at the weather service, told The Telegraph: "We used climate models to compare the likelihood of a UK mean temperature of 10 degree Celsiusin both the current climate and with historical human climate influences removed."

"The results showed that recording 10 degree Celsiusin a natural climate would occur around once every 500 years, whereas in our current climate it could be as frequently as once every three to four years."

By the end of the century, under a medium (future) emissions scenario, a UK average temperature of 10 degree Celsius could occur almost every year, experts said.

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