January 2025 becomes warmest month on record

January 2025 has been confirmed as the warmest month ever recorded, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported, marking the latest milestone in a series of temperature records.

The record-breaking temperatures persisted despite the end of El Niño conditions, which had contributed to warming trends throughout 2023-2024, and the emergence of typically cooling La Niña patterns in the tropical Pacific.

Global surface temperatures averaged 13.23°C in January, surpassing pre-industrial levels by 1.75°C, according to Copernicus data.

The rise is attributed to continued human activities, particularly the use of fossil fuels for energy production.

“This is another exceptional month in a sequence of records”, said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, noting that high temperatures have continued for a third consecutive year despite La Niña conditions, which typically bring cooling effects.

January 2025 marked the 18th month out of the last 19 to exceed the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels, a key target of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

However, scientists note that long-term warming is measured over decades, with current estimates placing the sustained temperature increase at about 1.3°C.

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects the 1.5°C threshold will likely be breached between 2030 and 2035, regardless of emissions trajectories.

Ocean temperatures, which regulate global climate patterns across more than 70% of Earth’s surface, remained at unprecedented levels first observed in April 2023.

January 2025 recorded the second-highest sea surface temperatures, just 0.19°C below January 2024’s record.

Copernicus warned that indicators suggest a slowdown or halt in the transition to La Niña conditions, potentially limiting expected temperature decreases throughout 2025.