Global Temperature Records Broken in January due to Record-Breaking Heat

January was recorded as the hottest on record, with global average temperatures rising 1.75°C above pre-industrial levels.

According to preliminary data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, a UK-based research organization backed by 35 states, the average temperature for January was 13.2°C (55.8°F). The Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine published the ECMWF data.

In a post discussing the newly released data, climate scientist Zeke Hausfather expressed astonishment at the new record high, noting that predictions had suggested La Niña would lead to a cooler 2025 compared to the record-hot 2024. “This indicates that January 2025 is remarkable, even by recent standards,” he stated.

After consecutive record years in 2023 and 2024, the planet has maintained elevated temperatures as the new year commenced. December was the second-warmest month recorded ever, both over land and in the oceans, according to the US National Centers for Environmental Information. Despite a weak La Niña providing some cooling effects in the equatorial Pacific, record temperatures have been observed in the Caribbean Sea, as well as the Indian Ocean and other regions of the Pacific.

According to the agency, record high temperatures affected 6.6% of the Earth’s surface in December.

If these records are validated, they would underscore research indicating that global warming is not only ongoing, but also accelerating.

New findings led by James Hansen, the head of the climate program at Columbia University and the former NASA scientist who first alerted Congress to climate change in the 1980s, imply that governments may have underestimated the pace of warming. This, in turn, is intensifying natural climate cycles and exacerbating extreme weather events.

© 2025 Bloomberg

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