Global warming in action – Met Office

Record-breaking temperatures for February in the UK are directly attributable to global warming, according to the Met Office.

On the night of 3rd – 4th February, the CET (Central England Temperature) minimum temperature was 11.2 degrees C, beating the previous February figure of 10.3 degrees C. On the 4th February the average temperature was recorded at 12.5 degree C, beating the previous high of 12.0 degrees C.

The record highs came just two weeks after the so-called ‘big freeze’, during which most of the country experienced snow.

"The natural variations of weather patterns often show marked departures from normal,” said David Parker, Senior Climate Scientist at the Met Office’s Hadley Centre. “But, because recent studies have shown that most of the global warming observed over the last 50 years is attributed to human influences, it is not unreasonable to conclude that human behaviour has played a significant part in the figures released today.”