January 2025 Breaks Heat Records, Global Temperatures Rise by 1.5 Degrees Celsius

January 2025 recorded the highest temperature ever documented, despite the cooling effects of La Nina, the European Meteorological Agency reported on Thursday. This comes after 2024 was confirmed as the hottest year on Earth. The global average temperature has now risen by 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), January 2025 recorded an average temperature of 13.23 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous hottest January (2024) by 0.09 degrees and exceeding the 1991-2020 average by 0.79 degrees.

Impact of La Nina:
La Nina is a climate phenomenon characterized by cooler-than-usual surface waters in the central Pacific Ocean, which affects global weather patterns. It typically brings heavy rainfall to India and causes droughts in parts of Africa and South America. While La Nina tends to cool global temperatures slightly, it is contrasted by El Nino, which warms the climate, researchers noted.

Scientists reported that in January 2025, Earth's temperature was 1.75 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels. For 18 of the last 19 months, global temperatures have remained above the critical 1.5-degree threshold. Additionally, the past 12 months (February 2024 to January 2025) saw temperatures 1.61 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels. The average sea surface temperature in January reached 20.78 degrees Celsius.