Sea Temperature Analysis: North and Baltic Seas Experience Above-Average Warmth

EU Climate Change Service: Summer 2024 was the hottest on record

The summer of 2024 was the hottest globally, with a global average temperature 0.69 degrees above the average. Europe experienced its warmest summer with an average temperature 1.54 degrees higher than average. This increase in temperature makes it likely that 2024 will be the warmest year on record. The EU Climate Change Service, Copernicus, relied on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, airplanes, and weather stations to reach these conclusions. Regional differences were observed in Europe, with above-average temperatures in Southern and Eastern Europe, but below-average temperatures in Northwest Ireland, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Western Portugal, and Southern Norway. The 1.5-degree Celsius limit was exceeded for the 13th time in 14 months in August 2024, indicating the impact of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions on temperature rise and more intense extreme events such as droughts, fires, and floods. The ongoing year is on track to set a heat record, with a temperature anomaly of 0.7 degrees. June, August, a single day, and the boreal summer all broke records for heat in 2024.