Latest month climate trends point to 2024 being on track to be the “warmest year” on record according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service today (Monday, December 9).
November 2024 was the second-warmest November globally, following November 2023, with an average surface air temperature of 14.10°C, which is 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 average for the month.
In most of western and central Europe, there was also “below average precipitation” last month.
Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service said:
“With Copernicus data in from the penultimate month of the year, we can now confirm with virtual certainty that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first calendar year above 1.5°C.
“This does not mean that the Paris Agreement has been breached, but it does mean ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever."
From January to November 2024, the global-average temperature anomaly stood at 0.72°C above the 1991-2020 average according to the organisation, which is the earth observation component of the European Union’s space programme.
This is the highest temperature recorded for this period and measured 0.14°C warmer than the same period in 2023.
Copernicus
November 2024 was the 16th month in a 17-month period for which the global-average surface air temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
“Ten of these 16 months, from September 2023 to April 2024, and October and November 2024, were substantially above 1.5°C, ranging from 1.58°C to 1.78°C,” Copernicus has highlighted.
Latest research suggests that the average temperature over European land for November 2024 was 5.14°C – 0.78°C above the 1991-2020 average for November.
Across the globe Copernicus also identified a number of distinct weather patterns:
- Temperatures were above average over northern Russia and across northeastern and southwestern Europe, and below average over southeastern Europe;
- Temperatures were most above average over eastern Canada and the central and eastern USA, most of Mexico, Morocco, northwest Africa, China, Pakistan, most of Siberia, and Australia.
- Temperatures were most notably below average across the western United States, parts of northern Africa, over far eastern Russia, and across most of Antarctica.
It also noted that the average sea surface temperature for November 2024 over 60°S–60°N was 20.58°C, the second-highest value on record for the month, and only 0.13°C below November 2023.
