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The UK remains on track for its warmest year since November became the 11th consecutive month of above-average temperatures.
In order not to break the record, temperatures in December would have to drop to near-unprecedented lows, with an average average temperature of 8.2C in November, the Met Office said.
Although autumn was only the third warmest on record overall, the country has not posted above-average temperatures for 11 consecutive months since records began in 1884, according to the official forecaster.
During a record-breaking heatwave this summer, temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius for the first time.
“All of the top 10 warmest years on record for the UK have occurred since 2002, a clear indicator of our warming climate,” said Mike Kendon of the National Climate Information Centre. “Human-induced climate change has increased the likelihood of extreme heat, as we saw in July this year, but this year has also seen continued warming, resulting in a year challenging the previous record set in 2014.”
Unusual weather conditions over the past few months, including above-average rainfall, have led to some plants reviving just as they were expected to enter dormancy.
Dr, who runs the Nature’s Calendar citizen science project for the Woodland Trust. Kate Luthwaite said she had received reports of a horse chestnut tree trying to re-bloom in Barnes, south-west London. It is now trying to produce fruit, she said.
Luthwaite said unseasonal blooms are a sign of environmental stress. “If a tree [experiences] Too much heat, or drought, or cold … then some of the buds that were on the tree earlier in the year will burst and try to flower.”
Reports of complete autumn tinting, where all the leaves on the trees have changed to their autumn yellows and browns, also continued to come in, Luthwaite said.
Although trees that have had a second flower or are growing late in the year may not suffer, continued mild weather can cause more problems, including the survival of more pests and diseases. Some insects and animals do not enter hibernation yet due to high temperatures.
The Met Office said November was the third warmest on record for the UK, with records in Scotland and Northern Ireland, some “exceptionally mild weather” due to a south-westerly flow of tropical sea air, and some very mild nights.
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