Why 2022 was a landmark year for global and regional climate records
Earth just experienced one of its hottest years on record, continuing a nine-year streak of unprecedented warmth. While global data highlights a long-term warming trend, regional reports from the UK reveal how this heat manifests in extreme events, from record-breaking summer temperatures to shifting seasonal norms.
In 2022, Earth effectively tied for its fifth-warmest year since records began in 1880. This milestone is not an isolated event but part of a broader, concerning pattern: the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest nine on record. NASA scientists continue to monitor these global shifts, examining how heat is expressed in diverse ways across the planet.
The UK provides a granular look at these changes. In 2022, the nation experienced its warmest year since records began in 1884. This was punctuated by an unprecedented heatwave on July 19, when temperatures reached 40.3°C—the first time the 40°C threshold had been crossed in the UK. The Central England Temperature record, which dates back to 1659, also marked 2022 as its hottest year. Met Office studies indicate that human-induced climate change significantly increased the likelihood of both the record-breaking annual temperature and the July heatwave.
These extremes are not just historical anomalies but indicators of a shifting baseline. Observations show that temperature extremes in the UK are changing faster than average temperatures. While the 2013-2022 period is the warmest ten-year span in the UK’s long-running series, projections suggest that under a medium emissions scenario, a year like 2022 could become the norm by 2060 and be considered relatively cool by 2100. This trend toward more frequent, intense, and prolonged heat events serves as a critical warning of the future climate landscape.
