January 2025 Declared Warmest Month on Record by Climate Agency

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January 2025 has been officially marked as the warmest month globally on record, with average surface temperatures rising 0.79 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2000 average, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The report indicated global temperatures were 1.75 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The study noted that European land experienced an average temperature increase of 2.51 degrees Celsius over the same reference period. Precipitative findings highlighted that Arctic sea ice extent was measured at six percent below average for January, establishing a concerning trend in climate anomalies.

Temperatures were also reported to be significantly higher across parts of northeast and northwest Canada, Alaska, Siberia, southern South America, Africa, and much of Australia and Antarctica. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of C3S, remarked on the persistence of extreme temperatures observed over the last two years, attributing them to ongoing climatic shifts despite occasional cooling from La Niña conditions.

Earlier this year, C3S confirmed that 2024 was the first year to exceed the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels, as outlined by the Paris Agreement.

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