Jan 2025: Warmest Jan with avg surface air temp 1.75°C above pre-industrial level
The February 2024 to January 2025 period was 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.61°C above the estimated 1850-1900 average used to define the pre-industrial level
January 2025 was the warmest January globally with an average surface air temperature of 13.23°C or 1.75°C above the pre-industrial level, European Union’s Earth Observation Programme Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Thursday. It was the 18th month in the last 19 for which the global average surface air temperature was over 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level, the threshold beyond which climate change will make human life more difficult, and the lower limit of the Paris Agreement. This is despite the emerging La Nina associated with below-normal temperatures in parts of the world.
“January 2025 is another surprising month, continuing the record temperatures observed throughout the last two years, despite the development of La Niña 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 evolving climate throughout 2025,” said European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts strategic lead (climate) Samantha Burgess.
La Nina refers to the large-scale cooling of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean coupled with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation such as winds, pressure, and rainfall. El Nino is the opposite, representing the warm phase of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation cycle.
In India, El Nino is associated with a harsher summer and weaker monsoon, and La Nina with a strong monsoon, above-average rains, and colder winters.
The February 2024 to January 2025 period was 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.61°C above the estimated 1850-1900 average used to define the pre-industrial level. The average temperature in Europe for January 2025 was 1.80°C, 2.51°C above the 1991-2020 average for January. It was cooler only than January 2020 which was 2.64°C above average.
Temperatures were mostly above average in northeast and northwest Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. They were above average in southern South America, Africa, much of Australia, and Antarctica.
Temperatures were notably below average in the United States and the easternmost regions of Russia, Chukotka, and Kamchatka. The Arabian Peninsula and mainland Southeast Asia had below-average temperatures.
The average sea surface temperature for January 2025 was 20.78°C, the second-highest value on record for the month, 0.19°C below the January 2024 record, Copernicus Climate Change Service said.
The average sea surface temperatures were below average in the central equatorial Pacific, but close to or above average in the eastern equatorial Pacific, suggesting a slowing or stalling of the move from El Niño to La Niña conditions. They remained unusually high in many other ocean basins and seas.
Arctic sea ice reached its lowest monthly extent for January at 6% below average virtually tied with January 2018. In the Arctic, sea ice concentration anomalies were well below average in the eastern Canadian sector, including Hudson Bay and the Labrador Sea, and in the northern Barents Sea. Antarctic sea ice extent was 5% below average and thus relatively close to average compared to other recent years.