Britain enjoyed its warmest spring on record but it was also the wettest in nearly 40 years

BRITAIN had its warmest spring on record — but the wettest in nearly 40 years, the Met Office says.

Provisional figures suggest the average temperature in May was a balmy 13.1C — beating the previous record from 2008 by a whole degree.

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Britain had its warmest spring on record — but the wettest in nearly 40 years, the Met Office says[/caption]

The average spring temperature was 9.37C, topping the previous record of 9.12C in 2017.

But the UK also saw 301.7mm of rain between March and May — almost a third more than usual — making it the wettest springtime since 1986.

A Met Office spokesperson said: “While it may not have felt like it for many, with sunshine in relatively short supply, provisional figures show May was the warmest on record in our series back to 1884.

“This warmth was especially influenced by high overnight temperatures, with the average UK minimum temperature for May 1.2°C higher than the previous record.

“Rainfall was above average for the UK, while some areas in the south saw over a third more rain than average.”

In contrast, Northern Ireland and Scotland were slightly drier than average in the month.

Today will see outbreaks of rain moving southwards through the day.

It will turn windy and feel colder across the north of the country.