2024 closes out as world’s warmest year ever
Hottest day on earth: Record broken twice this week
The hottest day on Earth occurred on Monday as sweltering conditions beat a record set the day before as countries worldwide felt the heat. Citing data published by Copernicus, a European climate change service, the Associated Press reported that Monday broke the previous day’s record by 0.06 degrees Celsius (0.1 degrees Fahrenheit).
The world is closing out its warmest year on record, and if the phrase sounds like a broken record, it is because the record was set just last year.
Preliminary data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service shows global temperature anomalies reached between 1.5 and 1.6 degrees Celsius (between 2.7 and 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels during the first 11 months of 2024, exceeding 2023’s record of 1.48 degrees Celsius (2.66 degrees Fahrenheit).
Depending on how temperature data from the final month of the year shakes out, 2024 could become the first year in recorded history to finish above the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
A person shields themself from the sun with an umbrella as people visit Domino Park in Brooklyn, New York, as a heat wave hits the northeast US on June 18, 2024. (Photo by Adam GRAY / AFP) (Photo by ADAM GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
The temperature threshold is highlighted in climate agreements as a tipping point, beyond which the risks of extreme events – such as melting sea ice, ecosystem destruction and severe weather – would lead to catastrophic consequences.
Globally, January, February, March, April, May, June and August were each the warmest on record, with the remaining months of the year ranking near the top of the charts.
It is important to note that agencies have different methodologies for determining global temperatures, so while records might vary, the data still underscores temperatures that are unprecedented in human history.
US sees warm year but misses all-time record
Data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information shows 2024 was a warm year for the U.S., but the country missed out on replacing all-time yearly heat records.
From January through October, the average temperature was 58.26 degrees Fahrenheit (14.59 degrees Celsius), which is an anomaly of 3.29 degrees Fahrenheit (1.83 degrees Celsius) above typical values.
Readings do not take into account plunges of cold air in November and December, which, when added to the 12-month count, will keep the country from breaking all-time records for heat.
The warmest year on record for the U.S. was set back in 2012 when temperature anomalies averaged 3.26 degrees Fahrnheit (1.81 degrees Celsius) above the long-term average.
Last year came in as the sixth warmest in the country during the last 129 years of data, despite the world experiencing its warmest period on record.
Climate implications for beyond 2024
The news shouldn’t be surprising as experts from NOAA, Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization all expected 2024’s temperatures to reach or surpass records set just last year.
"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," Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in a statement.
Some scientists predict that 2025 will be slightly cooler compared to previous years due to a shift from a strong El Niño to a La Niña pattern in the coming months, but the new year is still expected to remain above climatic norms.
Read more of this story from FOX Weather.