What climate records were broken in 2024?

This year, 2024, is set to become the hottest on record, surpassing the previous high in 2023, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

For the first time, average global temperatures will exceed 1.5C (2.7F) above pre-industrial levels from 1850-1900, the upper limit set by the Paris Agreement.

The agreement aimed to have countries work towards reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, with a goal of limiting the global average surface temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels and striving to keep it well below 2C.

“This does not mean that the Paris Agreement has been breached, but it does mean ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever,” said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S.

Rising temperatures have already triggered extreme weather events across the globe in 2024, including deadly floods in Nigeria and Europe, devastating wildfires in South America, early heatwaves and catastrophic hurricanes in the United States.

JANUARY

The year began with a fiery start as the world experienced the warmest January on record, with an average surface air temperature of 13.14˚C. This is 0.12˚C above the previous temperature record for the warmest January, which was set in 2020.

January 2024 marked the eighth consecutive month in a row that was the warmest on record for the respective month of the year – a streak that began in June 2023 and ended in June 2024.

FEBRUARY

In February, the Northern Hemisphere concluded its warmest winter on record, while ocean temperatures soared to unprecedented levels.

The average global sea surface temperature reached 21.09C (69.8F), surpassing the previous record of 20.98C (69.77F) set in August 2023.

While this increase is partly attributed to the El Nino climate pattern, which causes unusually warm waters in the eastern Pacific, its reach is broader.

“What is more surprising is that sea surface temperatures are at record levels in regions far from El Nino’s centre, such as the tropical Atlantic and Indian Ocean,” noted Richard Allan, a climate scientist at the University of Reading, emphasising the profound impact of rising greenhouse gas emissions on global warming.

JUNE

As sea temperatures increase, evaporation speeds up, transferring more heat from the oceans to the air. When storms move over warm oceans, they absorb more water vapour and heat.

This leads to stronger winds, heavier rainfall and greater flooding when the storms reach land. This was seen when the Atlantic entered its hurricane season in June.

Hurricane Beryl, the season’s first hurricane, was the earliest Category 5 on record in the Atlantic, according to the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization. Category 5 hurricanes cause catastrophic damage with winds of 157mph (252km/h) or higher.

Beryl formed in the Atlantic Ocean on June 28 and rapidly intensified into a major hurricane. Between June 29 and the morning of June 30, its winds surged by 65 miles per hour, reaching “extremely dangerous” Category 4 status.