UK weather: 2023 was second warmest year on record, says Met Office
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The United Kingdom has been experiencing a growing number of heatwaves that are believed to be caused by global warming.
A journalist who reports on climate and scientific topics for the BBC News.
The Met Office's preliminary data shows that last year was the UK's second warmest year on record.
This places it in second place right after 2022, which had a slightly higher average temperature of only 0.06C.
In 2023, Wales and Northern Ireland experienced their warmest year ever recorded.
According to the national weather service, the increased temperatures have a high probability of resulting from climate change.
According to the Senior Scientist from the Met Office, Mike Kendon, it is apparent from the UK climate observations that climate change has been impacting the long-term temperature records of the United Kingdom. Needless to say, 2023 will be remembered as yet another year that experiences high temperatures due to this influence of climate change.
Although our weather will still be unpredictable, with intervals of low temperatures and precipitation, what we've noticed in the past few years is many instances of breaking high temperature records.
In the United Kingdom, the summer season started and ended with extremely hot temperatures. June marked the highest recorded temperature. Additionally, September tied for the highest temperature ever recorded. The temperature soared past 33 degrees Celsius.
In the world, there are few countries that can say they have temperature records as ancient as those of the UK. For example, the Met Office has been tracking the Central England Temperature series since 1659.
Due to consecutive record-breaking years of high temperatures, the government was cautioned by their own consultants in July regarding the lacking preparation for the impending climate change in the UK. The over 65-year-olds recorded about 3,000 deaths surpassing the usual annual average in 2022 and 20% of medical operations were deferred.
Greenpeace UK's policy director, Doug Parr, expressed on Tuesday that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's recent actions regarding climate change will merely exacerbate the issue.
The warning signs about the climate crisis are sounding loud and clear, yet Sunak seems to be ignoring them. The latest agenda put forward by our Prime Minister involves increasing the extraction of oil and gas from the North Sea, while also postponing or completely abandoning important measures that could significantly reduce emissions from vehicles and buildings.
A spokesperson for the government has stated that they will strive to address climate change by achieving their net zero objectives and fulfilling their global obligations. They aim to accomplish this without causing any excessive hardships for households.
The UK experienced a rise in the average amount of rainfall last year, increasing by 11%. However, in England and Northern Ireland, the increase was even higher, surpassing 20%.
Climate change is expected to bring about changes in the UK's weather patterns, with summers becoming hotter and drier while winters will be warmer and wetter. This is because the rising temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more water, leading to increased precipitation.
The high temperatures that broke records in the UK were not unique to that country. Other parts of the world also experienced extreme heat. For example, Greece, Tunisia, and Hawaii had wildfires, while the Atlantic ocean had warmer-than-usual temperatures. Similarly, Canada had a wildfire season that set a new record, and Antarctic sea-ice levels reached concerning lows.
It is anticipated that Copernicus Climate Change Service will officially announce that 2023 was the warmest year on record worldwide in January. The unusual high temperatures are thought to be mainly caused by climate change, along with El Niño, which is a natural weather occurrence.
When El Niño occurs, the winds in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean lose their strength. As a result, warm waters remain closer to the surface and are sent towards the eastern side. This leads to the release of additional heat into the atmosphere, causing the air to become warmer and more moist.
The duration of the El Niño remains uncertain, but it is anticipated that it will persist until the first six months of this year. As a result, 2024 might become the hottest year ever recorded on the planet, and it could also surpass the critical threshold of 1.5C warming.
If we reach the threshold, it would indicate that the Earth's average temperature is 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than it was in the late 1800s. Back then, humans started emitting large amounts of fossil fuels due to industrialization.
The number 1.5C has become a popular representation of worldwide discussions on climate change. The countries present at the 2015 Paris agreement came to a consensus to make efforts towards constraining global temperature increases to 1.5C.
