Climate Change

Another climate record broken: January 2024 warmest in history

First record broken this year January 2024 warmest in history

Foto: Freepik

Published

February 9, 2024

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

February 9, 2024

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

After 2023 was declared the hottest year on record, the start of 2024 saw the warmest January ever and the eighth consecutive month in which global temperatures reached all-time highs, according to a report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

January 2024 had a global average air temperature of 13.14 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record set in 2020 by 0.12 degrees. The average January temperature was 1.66 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels (the period from 1850 to 1900), according to the C3S report.

Compared to the period from 1991 to 2020, January temperatures in Europe varied significantly, with temperatures well below average in the north of the continent and significantly above average in the south.

Outside of Europe, temperatures were significantly above average in northwest Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, while they were below average in the central United States and much of eastern Siberia.

Record-high sea temperature for January

The El Niño natural phenomenon began to weaken in the equatorial Pacific, but sea surface temperatures remained unusually high, say scientists from C3S.

The average sea surface temperature reached 20.97 degrees Celsius, a record for January. Looking at all months, the temperature measured in January 2024 is the second-highest sea temperature ever recorded. The record is held by August 2023, with 20.98 degrees Celsius.

Given these alarming trends, Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, emphasized that not only did we start 2024 with the warmest January on record, but we also experienced 12 months with temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

“Rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are the only way to stop global temperatures increasing,” Burgess said.

Dry conditions in Australia and Chile contributed to fires

Regarding sea ice, the Arctic sea ice extent was close to average, and the highest for January since 2009. However, the Antarctic sea ice extent was the sixth lowest for January, 18% below average.

In terms of hydrology, January 2024 was rainier than average in large parts of Europe, with storms affecting northwest and southwest Europe. Drier than average conditions were seen in southeastern and northern Spain and the Maghreb, southern United Kingdom, Ireland, eastern Iceland, much of Scandinavia, parts of northwest Russia, and eastern Balkans.

Outside of Europe, several regions experienced above-average rainfall, including the western and southeastern United States, large parts of Eurasia, southeastern South America, southeastern Africa, and northern and eastern Australia. Drier than average conditions were seen in parts of Canada, the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Southeast Asia. In Australia and Chile, these dry conditions contributed to the development of devastating fires.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

Carbon capture and storage technology critical for limiting global warming

Carbon capture, storage is crucial for limiting global warming

01 October 2024 - Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies play an important role in many climate change mitigation strategies

Third Von der Leyen European Commission green transition environment Teresa Ribera

Third of Von der Leyen’s next European Commission to handle green transition, environment

18 September 2024 - Spain's Teresa Ribera and Demark's Dan Jørgensen are Ursula von der Leyen's picks for the top energy jobs in the next European Commission

state of energy union report 2024 kadri simson

2024 State of the Energy Union report reveals progress, gap in efforts to meet climate targets

12 September 2024 - The 2024 State of the Energy Union report is out. It is an update on how the EU acted on unprecedented developments and challenges in 2023.

Serbia publishes draft environmental protection strategy green agenda for period 2024 - 2033

Serbia publishes draft environmental protection strategy – green agenda 2024-2033

11 September 2024 - The consultations will last until October 3, as announced by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Serbia