The Met Office has announced that 2025 has been the sunniest year in the UK since records began in 1910.
With two weeks of the year still to go, provisional data shows that 1622 hours of sunshine have been recorded, beating the previous record set back in 2003.
All months this year excluding February and October recorded above average sunshine hours.
The record-breaking sunny year was bolstered by an exceptional spring, which was not only the sunniest and warmest on record, but also the driest in more than 50 years.
Whilst the UK as a whole has seen well above average sunshine hours this year, there have been some big regional differences.
Looking at the data for the four nations separately, only England has broken its record for the sunniest year, whilst 2025 is currently the second sunniest year in Scotland and the sixth sunniest in Wales.
In Northern Ireland, although sunshine has been above average in 2025, it is currently not in the top 10 sunny years on record - but may come close by the end of December.
The most notably high sunshine amounts, compared to average, were recorded in eastern England and northern Scotland.
The Met Office says, "The UK has generally become sunnier since the 1980s. The cause of this trend is uncertain and it may simply be down to natural variability, though reduced aerosols could be a factor."
Although 2025 has been an exceptionally sunny year overall, it is worth noting that recent months haven't been quite so bright. In fact autumn was actually slightly duller than average and December has seen around average sunshine so far.
I don't make-up these ludicrous stories folks!
