The world has experienced another consecutive month of record-breaking heat. Recent data from Copernicus, the European Union’s climate change monitoring service, reveals that last month was the hottest February on record globally, with exceptionally high temperatures in both the air and sea.
This record heat coincides with the U.S. facing extreme weather conditions. In recent weeks, communities across the nation have encountered spring- and summer-like temperatures, extreme rain and flooding, massive snowfall, and fire weather conditions that led to Texas’ largest-ever wildfire, quickly becoming one of the biggest in U.S. history. These extreme events are a result of the rise in global temperatures due to climate change, and are only expected to become more frequent and intense with continued warming.
According to Copernicus, the average global surface air temperature in February was 13.54 degrees Celsius (roughly 56.4 degrees Fahrenheit), which is 1.77 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average for February. This marks the ninth consecutive month where each month has been the warmest on record globally, following 2023 breaking the record for the warmest year.
Copernicus identified that the highest February temperatures, classified as “exceptionally high,” occurred within the first two weeks of the month. Scientists noted that the daily global average temperature during that time surpassed 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average for four consecutive days, from Feb. 8 to 11.
The world’s oceans, which absorb 90% of Earth’s heat, also experienced record high temperatures. Copernicus reported that the average global sea surface temperature for February was 21.06 degrees Celsius (69.9 degrees Fahrenheit), marking the highest for any month in the dataset.
Elevated ocean temperatures contribute to global warming by causing melting sea ice, which is crucial in reflecting the sun’s rays to maintain cooler temperatures. Without the ice, sea levels rise and temperatures increase, intensifying extreme weather events. Warmer oceans also lead to widespread coral bleaching, further endangering marine ecosystems and economies.
Climate scientists have long warned about various climate thresholds that put the world at risk of extreme weather events, particularly affecting coastal and island populations. These thresholds include surpassing several years of global temperatures 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, or an even more alarming 2 degrees of warming. January marked the first time on record that global average temperatures reached the 1.5-degree warming threshold over a 12-month period.
While February surpassing these milestones doesn’t indicate that the world as a whole has exceeded the threshold, it does suggest that human activities are progressing towards doing so.
Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, noted that while the data is remarkable, it’s not surprising given the continuous warming of the climate system leading to new temperature extremes. He emphasized that the climate responds to the actual concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and unless these are stabilized, new global temperature records and their consequences will continue to occur.
The recent records coincide with an ongoing El Niño event that began last summer. El Niño occurs every two to seven years when the Pacific Ocean experiences warmer-than-average surface temperatures. The most recent El Niño peaked in December, with the World Meteorological Organization labeling it as one of the five strongest on record.
Despite the El Niño event gradually weakening, its impacts on global climate will persist in the coming months. This particular El Niño event was partially influenced by human activity, as the burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to the phenomenon.
Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for WMO, highlighted that El Niño events now occur in a climate drastically altered by human activities, leading to above-normal temperatures in the foreseeable future.
