What a scorcher! 2014 named warmest on record

Today was expected to be warmer than Corfu and almost on a par with Cyprus.

It comes after a mild 12 months altered the record books, ironically helped by the floods that brought havoc to Shropshire back in February.

The unseasonal mildness is part of a global trend, experts say, and 2014 is likely to be declared unusually warm in countries across the world.

Every month of 2014 was warmer in Shropshire and Mid Wales than normal – except August which was decidedly disappointing.

The storms and floods that swept Shropshire and Mid Wales at the start of the last year were a sign of warmer weather, as the region was soggy rather than icy.

The River Severn was swelled by thousands of tons of water as the rain refused to let up and parts of the county from Shrewsbury to Bridgnorth and Ironbridge were submerged in the first few months.

Experts said, while temperatures overall were higher, they were not extreme, as no single month set a temperature record.

Instead, Phil Jones, research director at the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit, said, the year had simply been consistently warm.

That was good news for outdoor attractions in Shropshire, with venues like Hoo Farm near Telford and Attingham Park near Shrewsbury enjoying record crowds as they managed to extend their season well into October. Big events like Shrewsbury Flower Show in August also enjoyed good weather, helping to ensure that they were a success financially.

And, after a couple of difficult years, farmers across Shropshire and Mid Wales were finally able to enjoy a problem-free harvest after a wet start to the year.

Mr Jones said: "2014 has been warmer than the 1961-1990 average almost everywhere, the main exception being central and eastern parts of North America.

"For Europe, many countries in northern and eastern parts will likely have had near-record warm years."

Colin Morice, a climate monitoring scientist at the Met Office, said it was hard to be specific about record breaking years, but 2014 certainly added to a trend.

He said: "The ranking of individual years should be treated with some caution because the uncertainties in the data are larger than the differences between the top ranked years.

"But we can say this year will add to the set of near-record temperatures we have seen over the last decade."

While one warm year does not necessarily mean climate change, with 10 of the hottest years worldwide recorded since the turn of the Millennium, new research suggests humans are playing a part in the weather.

Peter Stott, head of climate attribution at the Met Office, said: "Our research shows current global average temperatures are highly unlikely in a world without human influence on the climate."

Last year was the warmest in the UK in records dating back to 1910, but despite the early floods, was not overall a record wet year, ranking only the fourth wettest.

Experts say 2015 may be even warmer.

The year is certainly starting with a mild spell, with the possibility of record high temperatures for January in some areas as thermometers edge towards 60F.

The weekend will, however, bring sunnier but colder weather.