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World sees record hot January with temperatures 1.75C above pre-industrial era

07 Feb 2025 2 minute read
Daffodils in Bute Park

Last month was the hottest January on record, despite an emerging “La Nina” weather pattern that cools global temperatures, scientists have said.

January 2025 was 0.79C above the 1991-2020 global average for the month and 1.75C above pre-industrial levels, scientists from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said.

It makes it the 18th month in the last 19 for which average global air surface temperatures were more than 1.5C above what they were before the industrial era.

Analysis

The analysis, using billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world, also found the last 12-month period, from February 2024 to January 2025, was 1.61C above the estimated 1850-1900 level which is used to define the pre-industrial era.The record highs come despite the emergence of the La Nina pattern in the Pacific which temporarily cools global temperatures.

The data shows sea surface temperatures outside the polar regions averaged 20.78C, making it the second hottest January after last year’s record.

Temperatures were below average in the central Pacific but close to or above average in the eastern Pacific – suggesting a slowing or stalling of the move to La Nina conditions, while sea surface temperatures were unusually high in many other oceans and seas.

Evolving

The average temperature over land in Europe was 1.8C, which is some 2.51C above the 1991-2020 average for January, making it the second warmest January for the continent after 2020.While temperatures were most above average over southern and eastern Europe, they were below average in the UK and Ireland, Iceland, northern France and northern Scandinavia.

Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts which runs C3S, said: “January 2025 is another surprising month, continuing the record temperatures observed throughout the last two years, despite the development of La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific and their temporary cooling effect on global temperatures.

“Copernicus will continue to closely monitor ocean temperatures and their influence on our evolving climate throughout 2025.”


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Amir
Amir
12 days ago

What is scarier than the world leaders denying climate change is the crazy schemes they will come up with to reverse the earth heating up.

hdavies15
hdavies15
12 days ago
Reply to  Amir

Too true. They will continue to enjoy freedom of movement and other excesses like attending all sorts of useless conferences while we will be confined to limited areas and in due course “enjoy” restricted diets !

Ap Kenneth
Ap Kenneth
12 days ago

The only way to slow this and to have a chance of reversing it is to stop burning stuff.
Those that think that carbon capture and storage is the answer I would point out that the only successful scheme was back in the 19th and early 20th centruy when millions of tons of timber pit props were buried in the ground, they are still there very slowly decaying away.

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