BBC report on U.K. summer temperatures misinterpreted, linked to climate change

What is the claim?

A screenshot of a BBC report with the headline “Coolest UK Summer Since 2015” has circulated on social media, with users sharing it to deny and argue against climate change.

Several users have posted the screenshot on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that climate change is a "scam." Some argue that the relatively cooler summers in the U.K. in 2024 have hindered authorities from promoting this narrative. One user on X wrote, “It has been a terrible summer, so bad that the establishment has struggled to push the climate scam narrative.” Archived versions of such posts can be accessed here and here. 

Screenshots of the viral social media posts. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the BBC report was based on statistical data from the U.K. Met Office and did not attribute the temperature dip this summer to climate change.

How did we find the truth?

The report referenced in the viral screenshot was published by the BBC on September 2, 2024. We found no mention that the temperature dip in the U.K. during the summer of 2024 was caused by climate change. The report indicated that the summer of 2024 was cooler than average, with a mean daily temperature of 14.37 degrees Celsius, which is 0.22 degrees Celsius below normal. However, it clearly states that “the long-term trend for higher temperatures is continuing due to climate change, although individual years will see ups and downs in temperature.”

We contacted the U.K. Met Office for further information on the statistics. They directed us to a report titled “UK Experiences Coolest Summer Since 2015,” published on September 2. This report includes summer temperature trends in the U.K. from 1884 to 2024, clearly showing that the mean temperature has risen from 13.5 degrees Celsius in 1884 to 14.37 degrees Celsius in 2024. It further explains that climate change continues to drive long-term temperature increases, despite annual variations.

Screenshot of the mean temperature trend of U.K. summers from 1884 to the present time. (Source: Met Office/Screenshot)

Temperatures that would have been considered average, now feel cold

The Met Office report also states that while the average mean temperature for summer 2024 in the U.K. was 14.37 degrees Celsius—cooler than the 1991-2020 average of 14.59 degrees Celsius—it was warmer compared to the 1961-1990 average of 13.78 degrees Celsius. Thus, the report debunks the claim that climate change is to blame for the “coolest UK summer since 2015” and clarifies that what is considered “cool” must be viewed in a broader context.

Dr. Patterson, a postdoctoral research scientist at the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, previously spoke to Logically Facts on a similar topic. He said: “U.K. weather varies considerably from day to day and week to week, mostly driven by natural variation in weather patterns. There has been considerable public conversation about the fact that June 2024 'felt' unusually cold. However, observed data show that June temperatures were similar to the long-term average. Due to human-induced climate change, U.K. summers have warmed rapidly and are now about 1.2°C warmer than they were in the 1970s. This rapid warming has made heatwaves more common, meaning that periods that would have been considered average now feel cold.”

The verdict

Social media posts misleadingly suggest that the BBC blamed climate change for the dip in summer temperatures in the United Kingdom. The BBC report, based on statistics from the Met Office, clearly states that the long-term trend shows rising temperatures in the U.K., with yearly natural variations.