Record temperatures for autumn 2006
Last autumn was the hottest on record
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Friday, 01, Dec 2006 05:39
Autumn 2006 was the hottest in UK history, breaking all records for almost 350 years, official figures have revealed.
The Met Office reports that the past few months have been the hottest in 347 years, with records being broken across all regions.
The average temperature throughout the UK was 11.3 degrees during autumn, beating the previous record of 10.5 degrees measured in 2001. Of all regions England was the hottest this year, sweltering at an average of 12.4 degrees, up from 11.3 degrees in 2005.
Figures dating back centuries indicate that the UK has not been as hot as it has been this autumn since 1731.
Rising temperatures are prompting concerns over global warming, with fears that climate change is beginning to take effect. This year has seen high temperatures throughout summer, continuing into the later stages of the year.
"If you look at 2006 as a whole and look at the record-breaking autumn, the record-breaking July and September, the warmest ever May-to-September period, all of those things support the notion this is climate change beginning to take effect," a Met Office spokesman told the Reuters news agency.
Experts predict that rising carbon dioxide levels will result in frequent heatwaves in future years.
The Met Office has previously warned over the dangers of climate change, stating that temperature increases can be attributed largely to human activity.