Global temperatures reach new highs

June 2024 marks the twelfth consecutive month of global temperatures reaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial average, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on behalf of the European Commission with funding from the European Union. 

The global average temperature for the past twelve months (July 2023 – June 2024) is the highest on record, being 0.76°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.64°C above the pre-industrial average.

In Europe, June 2024 was the joint-second warmest June on record, with temperatures 1.57°C above the 1991-2020 average. South-eastern Europe and Türkiye experienced the highest anomalies, while western Europe, Iceland, and north-western Russia saw near or below-average temperatures.

Globally, significant temperature increases were recorded in eastern Canada, the western USA and Mexico, Brazil, northern Siberia, the Middle East, northern Africa and western Antarctica. Conversely, the eastern equatorial Pacific experienced below-average temperatures, signalling a developing La Niña, although ocean air temperatures remained unusually high in many regions.

The sea surface temperature (SST), averaged over 60°S–60°N for June 2024, reached a record 20.85°C, marking the fifteenth consecutive month of record-high SSTs for their respective months.

While other datasets may not fully align with the 12-month streak due to small margins and dataset variations, it is crucial to note that the 1.5°C and 2°C limits in the Paris Agreement are intended as long-term (twenty- to thirty-year) targets.

(Copernicus/ile)

Read more on the Copernicus website