2017 was the UK’s fifth warmest year since 1910, and future heatwaves ‘will kill’

In a year of summer heatwaves in the UK, Europe and further afield in the northern hemisphere, Britain’s Met Office has confirmed that last year, 2017, was the UK’s fifth warmest year in a record dating back to 1910. The UK climate is indeed warming, according to the Met Office’s 4th annual State of the UK Climate report published in July.

The average temperature over the last decade (2008–2017) was 0.8°C warmer than the 1961–1990 average, in a period which has also seen 8% more rainfall and 6% more sunshine, says the report. And, in contrast to this summer (2018), UK summers have been notably wetter over the most recent decade, with a 20% increase in rainfall compared to 1961–1990.

Dr Mark McCarthy, Manager of the Met Office National Climate Information Centre, said: ‘Our climate is changing, globally and here in the UK. People may not recall 2017 as having been a particularly warm year, with a relatively wet summer and snow in December. Despite this, when looking at the longer-term perspective, 2017 was still more than 1°C warmer than our 1961–1990 baseline and ranks fifth warmest year overall for the UK.’

UK temperature records dating back to 1910 show that 2017 was the fifth warmest year on record in terms of UK land temperatures; consequently, last year was also the fifth lowest for heating degree days. UK coastal water temperatures were also high: hitting joint fifth warmest in a series since 1870, adds the Met Office.

Nine of the ten warmest years for the UK have occurred since 2002, says the report, and the top ten have all occurred since 1990. For the UK as a whole, rainfall in 2017 was close to average, but with large regional differences.

Mean sea level around the UK has risen at a rate of approximately 1.4 mm per year since the start of the 20th century, adds the report, equivalent to a total rise of about 16 cm – more than six inches.

Meanwhile, a new report from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC): Heatwaves: adapting to climate change, suggests that failing to address the danger of heatwaves will threaten the wellbeing of an increasing number of vulnerable people, and that government action is required.

EAC Chair Mary Creagh MP said: ‘Heatwave warnings are welcomed as barbecue alerts, but they [also] threaten health, wellbeing and productivity. The Met Office has projected that UK summer temperatures could regularly reach 38.5°C by the 2040s. Heatwaves cause premature deaths from cardiac, kidney and respiratory disease. There will be 7,000 heat-related deaths every year in the UK by 2050 if the government does not take action.’

Creagh added: ‘The government needs to do more to warn the public of the health risks of heatwaves… It must change building regulations and planning policies to ensure homes and transport networks are able to deal with extreme heat, and that local authorities and cities have green spaces and heat-resilient infrastructure.’