This year will be the hottest in the world since the beginning of observations. The unusually high temperatures are expected to persist through the first few months of 2025. Reuters agency reports, referring to EU specialists.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reports that data from January to November confirmed that 2024 will surely be the hottest year on record. It will also be the first year in which the average global temperature will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to the pre-industrial period between 1850 and 1900. The previous warmest year on record was 2023. Extreme droughts have hit Italy and South America, deadly floods in Nepal, Sudan, and Europe, abnormal heat has killed thousands in Mexico, Mali, and Saudi Arabia, and devastating cyclones have hit the US and the Philippines in 2024, with more than 100,000 deaths.
Last November was the second warmest month recorded after November 2023.
"We are still at an almost all-time high for global temperatures, and this is likely to continue for at least the next few months," Copernicus Climate researcher Julien Nicolas told Reuters.
Friederika Otto, a senior lecturer at Imperial College London, also said that although 2025 may be slightly colder than 2024, this does not mean the temperature will be "safe" or "normal."
