January 2025: Warmest on Record Despite La Niña

On 6th February 2025, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that January 2025 was the warmest January on record, despite the development of La Niña, a climate pattern usually associated with cooler global temperatures.

Key Points

Temperature Record: January 2025’s global average temperature was 13.23°C. 0.09°C higher than January 2024 (previous record)
Warming Trend: Earth’s temperature in January was 1.75°C higher than pre-industrial levels
La Niña’s Weak Cooling Impact: While La Niña developed in the central Pacific, eastern Pacific waters remained warmer than usual, slowing its cooling effect
Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) were 20.78°C, making it the second warmest January on record
Arctic Sea Ice Decline: Arctic sea ice extent in January fell 6% below average, nearing the record low set in January 2018
Long-Term Climate Impact: The February 2024 – January 2025 period was 1.61°C warmer than pre-industrial times
Paris Agreement Context: The 1.5°C warming limit set under the Paris Agreement refers to long-term sustained warming over 20-30 years, but recent data signals increasing climate risks