London, Europe Brief News – Summer 2022 had an average temperature of 17.1C, tying with 2018 to be the warmest in records dating from 1884.
The record came as large parts of the country are dealing with drought after months of sweltering heat.
The hot summer included the record-breaking heat in July, when temperatures climbed above 40C for the first time in the UK, as climate change drives more frequent and intense heatwaves.
The heatwave trigged a major incident in London due to a surge in fires, which destroyed homes and cars.
England also had its sixth-driest summer on record, and driest since 1995, according to Met Office data going back to 1836.
Much of England has been gripped by drought after months of low rainfall, with the hot, dry conditions drying up rivers, damaging crops and fuelling wildfires that have destroyed homes and land.
Scientists at the Met Office who carried out the analysis described this summer’s extreme temperatures. It is a “real indication of how our climate is changing”.
Temperatures passed 40C (104F) for the first time, something “virtually impossible” without human-induced climate change, according to the Met Office.
The data includes measurements from active weather stations in the UK that had at least 50 years of observations.
