February was the warmest month on record across the globe according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on behalf of the European Commission.
It routinely publishes monthly climate bulletins reporting on the changes observed in global surface air and sea temperatures, sea ice cover and hydrological variables.
All the reported findings are based on computer-generated analyses using billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.
February temperatures
February 2024 was the warmest February on record globally, with an average surface air temperature of 13.54°C, 0.81°C above the 1991-2020 average for February.
This was also 0.12°C above the temperature of the previous warmest February, in 2016.
This is the ninth month in a row that was the warmest on record for the respective month of the year.
The month was 1.77°C warmer than an estimate of the February average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period according to Copernicus.
The global-average temperature for the past 12 months (March 2023–February 2024) is the highest on record, at 0.68°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.56°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.
The daily global average temperature was exceptionally high during the first half of the month, reaching 2°C above the 1850-1900 levels on four consecutive days (February 8-11).
European temperatures in February 2024 were 3.30°C above the 1991-2020 average for February, with much-above average temperatures experienced in central and eastern Europe.
Outside Europe, temperatures were above average over northern Siberia, central and north-west North America, the majority of South America, across Africa, and in western Australia.
El Nino continued to weaken in the equatorial Pacific, but marine air temperatures in general remained at an unusually high level, according to the analyses.
According to director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), Carlo Buontempo: “February joins the long streak of records of the last few months. As remarkable as this might appear, it is not really surprising as the continuous warming of the climate system inevitably leads to new temperature extremes.
“The climate responds to the actual concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere so, unless we manage to stabilise those, we will inevitably face new global temperature records and their consequences.”
Rainfall
In February 2024, it was wetter than average in Europe in a large band from the Iberian Peninsula to western Russia, and over the UK and Ireland, southern Scandinavia, and the Alps.
Precipitation was also above average over much of Italy. Wind and heavy rainfall associated with several storms caused widespread damage and disruptions according to Copernicus.
Meanwhile, drier-than-average conditions were observed across most of the Mediterranean countries, parts of the Balkans, much of Turkey, regions of Iceland and northern Scandinavia, as well as large parts of western Russia.
Beyond Europe, in February 2024 it was wetter than average over the west and the north-east of North America, in a large region from Eurasia to central Asia, in parts of China and Japan, in south-eastern Brazil, parts of southern Africa, and northern Australia.
These conditions were often associated with the transit of cyclones.
Drier-than-average conditions established in parts of North America, the Horn of Africa, the Arabian peninsula, south central Asia, most of southern Africa, South America, and Australia, often associated with wildfires.