Hottest Jan ever as La Niña fails to moderate temps

Global temperatures shattered records again in the first month of this year as January became the warmest ever recorded, marking an unprecedented 18th month out of the last 19 that were above a critical climate threshold despite cooling La Niña conditions that typically moderate global heat.

- Jayashree Nandi

NEW DELHI:

January's average surface air temperature reached 13.23°C, soaring 1.75°C above pre-industrial levels, according to data released on Thursday by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The reading breaches the 1.5°C threshold of warming that scientists warn could trigger catastrophic climate impacts if sustained.

Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, described January 2025 as "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."

The twelve-month period from February 2024 to January 2025 averaged 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.61°C above the estimated 1850-1900 pre-industrial levels, intensifying concerns about meeting Paris Agreement targets aimed at limiting global temperature rise.