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The world is getting hotter. Credit: Pixabay, Myriams-Fotos
The European Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has confirmed that 2024 is “virtually certain to become the hottest year on record”, surpassing the global average temperatures of previous years.
This shocking announcement follows 10 consecutive months of record-breaking warmth, with global temperatures consistently over 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, a critical threshold for climate change.
October 2024 alone reached 1.65°C above pre-industrial averages, marking it as one of the warmest Octobers ever recorded.
Rising global temperatures and sea surface warmth
Data from the ERA5 dataset, which collates billions of measurements from satellites and weather stations shows that 2024’s average temperature anomaly for January through October was 0.71°C above the 1991-2020 average, making it the hottest year on record for this period.
Europe experiences a warm October
European land temperatures for October were 1.23°C above the average for 1991-2020, ranking as the fifth warmest October on record.
Sea surface temperatures across the world
Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in October were 20.68°C on average across the world, nearly matching October 2023’s record high. While cooler temperatures in parts of the Pacific indicated an approaching La Niña, ocean temperatures remained unusually high across many regions.
Severe and adverse weather conditions
October also saw severe weather events, with heavy rainfall across southern Europe leading to tragic flash floods in Valencia, Spain, resulting in over 200 fatalities. The Iberian Peninsula, France, and northern Italy all experienced wetter-than-average conditions. Meanwhile, much of eastern Europe, including Greece and western Turkey, faced below-average precipitation.
These concerning trends highlight the urgent need for action on climate change. Recent headlines at Euro Weekly News have covered the hottest summer of 2024 plus 2023 was also a record-breaking year.