March 2024 was warmer than any previous March in the global data record, making it the tenth month in a row to be the warmest on record, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
The month had an average ERA5 surface air temperature of 14.14°C, meaning it was 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 average for March, and 0.10°C above the previous high set in March 2016.
The month was 1.68°C warmer than an estimate of the March average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period.
The global-average temperature for the past twelve months is the highest on record, at 0.70°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.58°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.
The average European temperature for March 2024 was 2.12°C above the 1991-2020 average for March, making the month the second warmest March on record for the continent, only a marginal 0.02°C cooler than March 2014.
Copernicus
Temperatures were mostly above average in central and eastern regions.
Outside Europe, temperatures were mostly above average over eastern North America, Greenland, eastern Russia, Central America, parts of South America, many parts of Africa, southern Australia, and parts of Antarctica.
In March 2024, it was wetter than average in most of western Europe, with storms causing heavy rainfall over the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. It was also wetter than average in regions of Scandinavia and north-western Russia.
The El Niño continued to weaken in the eastern equatorial Pacific, but marine air temperatures in general remained at an unusually high level.
Deputy director of Copernicus, Samantha Burgess said: “The global average temperature is the highest on record, with the past 12 months being 1.58°C above pre-industrial levels. Stopping further warming requires rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.’’
