The UK has seen its sunniest year on record, with the Met Office reporting an average of 1,622 hours of sunshine across the country by 15 December.
The figure comfortably surpasses the previous record of 1,587 hours, set across the entirety of 2003.
England experienced its sunniest year ever, while Scotland saw its second brightest and Wales its sixth.
Northern Ireland, though not quite as sun-drenched, still has a chance to finish within its top 10 sunniest years, with two weeks of 2023 remaining.
According to the Met Office, an “exceptional” amount of sunshine during spring, followed by prolonged clear spells throughout the summer, were key factors in establishing the new record.
These unbroken periods of clear skies also contributed to both spring and summer being the warmest on record for the UK, based on mean average temperatures.
Met Office senior scientist Mike Kendon said: “The record-breaking sunshine this year was driven by the frequent influence of high pressure that reduced cloud cover and brought sunny skies for many.
“Spring was exceptional, and many will remember the long spells of days with largely unbroken sunshine.
“It began with the third-sunniest March on record, followed by a record-breaking sunniest April and then the second-sunniest May.
“All three months of the summer also saw above-average sunshine hours and while sunny periods are not unusual at this time of year, the duration and consistency of high-pressure systems made 2025 notably sunnier than average.”
Met Office sunshine data began in 1910, while temperature data began in 1884.
This year’s record-breaking weather has benefited the country’s energy sector, according to the National Energy System Operator (Neso).
Between April to August, solar power provided more than 10 per cent of Britain’s energy needs.
On 8 July, solar set a new record for total output, providing over 14GW of electricity for the first time – enough to deliver more than 40 per cent of Britain’s needs at the time.
The UK has generally become sunnier since the 1980s, though the cause of this trend is uncertain and may be down to natural variation in weather from year to year, the Met Office said.
Reduced use of aerosols “could be a factor”, while climate projections “currently show no definitive evidence of a future trend in sunshine amounts due to climate change”.
The Met Office is expected to publish an update next week on where 2025 will rank in terms of temperature and rainfall.
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