The year 2023 was provisionally the second warmest on record for the UK, following closely behind 2022, the Met Office has confirmed today.
This trend extended to Wales and Northern Ireland, where both regions experienced their warmest years in a series dating back to 1884.
Despite being the second warmest overall, 2023 holds the record as the warmest for minimum temperature in the UK.
Scientists said human-induced climate change significantly contributed to this warmth, making the 2023 mean temperature notably more likely in a climate influenced by industrialisation.
In addition to its warm conditions, Northern Ireland witnessed its third wettest year since 1836, recording a notable 11% increase in rainfall.
The UK, as a whole, observed 11% more rainfall than the annual average, with specific months like March, July and October ranking among the wettest.
Met Office scientists conducted a climate attribution study, revealing that the observed mean temperature in 2023 would have been a one-in-500-year event in a natural climate unaffected by human emissions.
However, in the current climate, it is a one-in-three-year event.
Under a medium emissions scenario, it could become a yearly occurrence by the end of the century.