How late May's heatwave put seal on the warmest spring on record

ENGLAND and Wales had their warmest spring on record this year, thanks partly to the “exceptionally early” heatwave that hit the UK at the end of May.

- By IAN JONES, PA

Officials said a meeting of the National Drought Group will be held in the next few weeks to assess the impact of the recent hot spell.

The mean average temperature in England across March, April and May was 10.41C, beating the previous record of 10.23C set in 2025, according to provisional figures from the Met Office.

It is the third year in a row that a new record has been set for the ‘warmest spring in England.

Wales saw a mean temperature of 9.73C, pushing 2025 (9.69C) into second place, with 1893 third (9.66C) and 2024 fourth (9.44C).

Scotland experienced its eighth warmest spring and Northern Ireland its joint sixth warmest, while the UK as a whole saw its third warmest.

The “exceptionally early and record-breaking spell of heat at the end of May” helped push the seasonal mean temperature in England and Wales to its highest level since comparable data began in 1884, the Met Office said.