The United Kingdom had its hottest June on record since the country began recording temperatures in 1884, the Met Office said, adding that human-induced climate change meant such unusual heat would become more frequent in the next few decades.
The average June temperature in the UK was 15.8°C – a 0.9°C improvement on the previous record of 14.9°C set in 1940 and 1976, according to interim data from the Met Office.
Meteorologists say the odds of breaking the previous combined record since the 1940s have at least doubled as a result of climate change.
Paul Davies of the Met Office said: “The warming of the Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human-caused climate change, along with natural variability, has increased the likelihood of record high temperatures. In the fifties of the (current) century, the record may be exceeded.” About fifty percent of the previous 14.9 degrees Celsius, or every two years.
Large parts of the country, from the Orkney Islands in northern Scotland to Cornwall in south-west England, had the hottest temperatures in the region last month, with many experiencing 2.5C of warming above normal.
The highest temperature recorded last month was 32.2C – well above the usual high 20s for this time of year, according to the Met Office.
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