January 2025 Marks Record Warmth Amidst Unusual Weather Patterns

The month of January 2025 has been officially recorded as the warmest January in history, according to European climate researchers. The average global temperature reached 13.23 degrees Celsius, which is 1.75 degrees above pre-industrial levels for this month, as reported by the Copernicus Climate Change Service based in Reading, UK.

Samantha Burgess, from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) that oversees the Copernicus service, noted that January 2025 continues the trend of record high temperatures observed over the past two years, despite the recent transition to La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific, which typically has a cooling effect on global temperatures.

The reported data is derived from billions of measurements collected from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations worldwide. This comprehensive approach enables a more accurate understanding of global climate trends.

In Europe, the January weather was characterized by above-average precipitation, particularly in many areas of Western Europe, parts of Italy, Scandinavia, and the Baltic region. Heavy rainfall in some locales resulted in flooding, further complicating the weather situation. Overall, January 2025 recorded the second-highest average temperature for the month across the European continent, only surpassed by January 2020.

Additionally, the average sea surface temperature was reported at 20.78 degrees Celsius, marking it as the second-highest value recorded for January since 2024. This measurement covers the area between the 60th parallel south, which runs south of South America, and the 60th parallel north, located just north of the Scottish mainland.

Over the last twelve months, from February 2024 to January 2025, the global temperature averaged 1.61 degrees higher than the estimated range for the period between 1850 and 1900. January 2025 also stands out as the 18th month within a 19-month span where temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. However, the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, has not yet been deemed unattainable, as evaluations are based on longer-term trends.