DEHRADUN: The month of January (Jan) this year was the warmest Jan on record globally since 1850, when records started to be maintained, with surface air temperatures 1.75°C above pre-industrial levels, said a report published on Thursday by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. This comes after 2024 was recorded as Earth’s hottest year, when global average temperatures surpassed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time.
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The report also noted that Jan was the 18th month in the past 19 where global temperatures exceeded the 1.5°C threshold.
Despite the onset of La Nina, a climate pattern typically linked to cooler global temperatures, January remained exceptionally warm, the report added. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), which confirmed the 2024 record with Copernicus, reacted to the latest data and wrote on X: “January 2025 was the warmest January on record, as confirmed by our colleagues at @CopernicusECMWF…”
Global surface air temperatures averaged 13.23°C in Jan, 0.79°C higher than the 1991-2020 average, marking another significant milestone in the ongoing warming trend, scientists at EU’s climate agency said.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), said, “Jan 2025 is another surprising month, continuing the record temperatures observed over the past two years, despite the development of La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific and their temporary cooling effect on global temperatures.” She added that Copernicus will closely monitor ocean temperatures and their influence on the evolving climate throughout the year.
The report also highlighted alarming trends in the state of sea ice, revealing that Arctic sea ice reached its lowest extent for Jan last month, measuring 6% below average, nearly matching 2018 levels. Antarctic sea ice was also 5% below average.
Meanwhile, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) remained unusually high across many parts of the world. The average SST for Jan (between 60° South and 60° North) was 20.78°C, making it the second-warmest Jan on record. Scientists at the agency observed that while SSTs were below average in the central equatorial Pacific, they were near or above average in the eastern equatorial Pacific, suggesting a possible slowdown or pause in the shift toward La Nina. SSTs of many other oceans and seas also remained “unusually high”.
The report also detailed shifting weather conditions across the globe. Jan brought wetter-than-average conditions to parts of western Europe, Italy, Scandinavia, and the Baltics, leading to flooding while northern UK, Ireland, and eastern Spain experienced drier-than-normal weather. Beyond Europe, heavy rainfall caused flooding in Alaska, Canada, Russia, and Australia, while parts of the US, Mexico, Africa, the Middle East, and China faced unusually dry conditions.
Dehradun: The month of January (Jan) this year was the warmest Jan on record globally since 1850, when records started to be maintained, with surface air temperatures 1.75°C above pre-industrial levels, said a report published on Thursday by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. This comes after 2024 was recorded as Earth’s hottest year, when global average temperatures surpassed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. The report also noted that Jan was the 18th month in the past 19 where global temperatures exceeded the 1.5°C threshold.
Despite the onset of La Nina, a climate pattern typically linked to cooler global temperatures, January remained exceptionally warm, the report added. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), which confirmed the 2024 record with Copernicus, reacted to the latest data and wrote on X: “January 2025 was the warmest January on record, as confirmed by our colleagues at @CopernicusECMWF…”
Global surface air temperatures averaged 13.23°C in Jan, 0.79°C higher than the 1991-2020 average, marking another significant milestone in the ongoing warming trend, scientists at EU’s climate agency said.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), said, “Jan 2025 is another surprising month, continuing the record temperatures observed over the past two years, despite the development of La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific and their temporary cooling effect on global temperatures.” She added that Copernicus will closely monitor ocean temperatures and their influence on the evolving climate throughout the year.
The report also highlighted alarming trends in the state of sea ice, revealing that Arctic sea ice reached its lowest extent for Jan last month, measuring 6% below average, nearly matching 2018 levels. Antarctic sea ice was also 5% below average.
Meanwhile, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) remained unusually high across many parts of the world. The average SST for Jan (between 60° South and 60° North) was 20.78°C, making it the second-warmest Jan on record. Scientists at the agency observed that while SSTs were below average in the central equatorial Pacific, they were near or above average in the eastern equatorial Pacific, suggesting a possible slowdown or pause in the shift toward La Nina. SSTs of many other oceans and seas also remained “unusually high”.
The report also detailed shifting weather conditions across the globe. Jan brought wetter-than-average conditions to parts of western Europe, Italy, Scandinavia, and the Baltics, leading to flooding while northern UK, Ireland, and eastern Spain experienced drier-than-normal weather. Beyond Europe, heavy rainfall caused flooding in Alaska, Canada, Russia, and Australia, while parts of the US, Mexico, Africa, the Middle East, and China faced unusually dry conditions.
