‘Exceptionally warm’ September was UK’s second hottest on record

Last month was only slightly cooller than August, Met Office says

Temperatures of 30C were recorded early in the month (Getty Images)

Last month was the second warmest Septemberon record in the UK, according to the Met Office.

Provisional figures showed the UK’s mean temperature for the month was 14.7C, making it only slightly cooler than the 15C figure recorded in August.

The UK’s warmest recorded September was 2006 when the average temperature was 15.2C, the Met Office said, which compared figures dating back to 1884.

Dr Mark McCarthy, head of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre, said that September 2021 was “an exceptionally warm month for the UK” in which there were “persistent above-average temperatures”. This was up until the conditions changed at the very end of the month.

Northern Ireland also recorded its joint-warmest September on record as mean temperatures of 14.2C matched those felt in 2006.

Across the UK, mean temperatures in September were 13C in Scotland, 14.8C in Wales and 15.8C in England.

Dr McCarthy said: “Interestingly, the exceptionally warm start of the month at one time threatened to push September’s average temperature figures above August’s, but the recent unsettled weather and drop to more average conditions have driven the figures slightly below August’s, but still well above the long-term average.

“High pressure dominated for much of the early part of the month, which brought with it warm, sunny spells and calm conditions.

“Although that particularly warm heat subsided, the temperature remained above average for a good portion of the month, before a more unsettled breakdown late in the month and more low-pressure systems moving in to the UK.”

Temperatures were overall warm, with highs of more than 30C recorded in some places early in September.

Those living in Wales felt 30C in September for the first time in 60 years. The last time temperatures such as these were felt was 1961, when Dyfed was basking in similar temperatures on 7 September.

Other hot days in England and Scotland included 7 and 8 September, when 27.2C was recorded in Plymouth, 27.1C in Eskdalemuir and 25.8C in Balmoral.

The Met Office said that although temperatures decreased somewhat as the month went on, they remained above average for a good part of the month. It wasn’t until the last week of September when more typical autumnal weather appeared and bouts of persistent rainfall hit the UK.

The news comes as Glasgow is due to host the world climate summit COP26 in November.

Additional reporting by PA