Global warming continues to accelerate. January 2025 recorded a +1.75°C increase over pre-industrial levels, marking the hottest January ever
No signs of slowing down: global temperatures keep rising
2024 was officially the hottest year on record since direct measurements began, and 2025 shows no signs of reversing the trend. Global warming continues its relentless march: as of January 2025, the planet’s temperature has risen by +1.75°C compared to pre-industrial levels, making it the hottest January ever recorded.
A new acceleration in global temperature rise
Last month, the Earth’s average global temperature reached 13.23°C, nearly 0.8°C above the 30-year average. This confirms the ongoing acceleration of global warming observed in recent years.
According to Copernicus, the EU’s satellite monitoring system, January’s data has pushed the 12-month moving average up to +1.61°C compared to the 1850–1900 baseline. By the end of 2024, this figure stood at +1.6°C. Over the past 19 months, 18 have exceeded the +1.5°C threshold, the most ambitious target set by the Paris Agreement. However, this does not yet mean the world has officially surpassed the +1.5°C limit, as that threshold is based on a 30-year average.
Europe heats up faster: +2.51°C anomaly
Europe continues to warm at a faster rate than much of the rest of the world. In January 2025, the continent’s temperature anomaly was +2.51°C above the 1991–2020 average, according to Copernicus. This makes it the second-warmest January on record, trailing only January 2020, which reached +2.64°C.
Oceans remain exceptionally warm
The world’s oceans are also registering unprecedented heat levels. In January 2025, Copernicus reported that the global ocean temperature reached 20.78°C, the second-highest ever recorded, just 0.19°C below the all-time record set one year ago.
This extreme ocean warming persists despite the strengthening of La Niña, the cooler counterpart of El Niño, in the equatorial Pacific.
“January 2025 is yet another remarkable month, reinforcing the record-breaking temperatures observed over the past two years, even as La Niña conditions develop in the tropical Pacific, temporarily cooling global temperatures,” said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus.
Arctic sea ice at historic lows
The Arctic continues to bear the brunt of climate change, with sea ice levels falling 6% below the long-term average. This marks the lowest extent on record, tying with January 2018.
Meanwhile, in Antarctica, sea ice remained 5% below the historical average, reversing the trend observed in 2023–24 when ice coverage was briefly above normal levels.
