England and Wales have just experienced their warmest spring on record, according to provisional figures released by the Met Office.
The period, which ran from 1 March to 31 May, saw the seasonal mean average temperature in the two countries reach its highest level since comparable data began in 1884.
The unprecedented warmth was significantly influenced by an “exceptionally early and record-breaking spell of heat at the end of May”, the Met Office said.
Scotland recorded its eighth warmest spring, and Northern Ireland experienced its joint sixth warmest.
Across the UK as a whole, it was the third warmest spring on record.
“This spring highlights both the natural variability of the UK’s weather and the longer-term warming we are observing,” Met Office scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said.
“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.”
A meeting of the National Drought Group will be held in the next few weeks to assess the impact of the recent heatwave, the Environment Agency said.
Several counties in the south and east of England received only around a third of their average rainfall this spring, according to provisional Met Office figures.
Cambridgeshire had 35 per cent of its long-term average for the season, Essex had 34 per cent while Kent and Suffolk both had 33 per cent.
Helen Wakeham, Environment Agency director of water and chair of the National Drought Group, said: “No parts of England are currently in drought, but the risk increases the longer it remains hot and dry.
“The recent heatwave has seen significant peaks in demand for water while river flows have fallen due to the very dry spring, and reservoir levels are reducing.
“We continue to closely track the situation and have convened a National Drought Group meeting in the coming weeks, so we are prepared if the dry conditions remain.”
