Britain has had more than 1,600 recorded hours of sunshine this year after record-breaking spring
The UK has already had its sunniest year on record, the Met Office has confirmed, after the country battled droughts and sweltered in heatwaves.
Though the country is currently swathed in December gloom, the rest of the year brought vast amounts of sunshine.
Up to 15 December, the UK had recorded 1,622 hours of sunshine, beating its previous sunniest year, 2003, in a series which dates back to 1910. In contrast, 2024 was the dullest year since 1998.
This year was mostly driven by England, which has had its sunniest year on record, but Scotland has already had its second sunniest year on record, and Wales its sixth. Northern Ireland is not yet within its top 10 sunniest years, though the Met Office says this could change by the end of the year. However, Magilligan in County Derry recorded 301.3 hours of sunshine in May 2025, the highest monthly sunshine total ever recorded in Northern Ireland in any month.
