Copernicus, the European Union's climate change service, has said that January 2025 was the warmest January on record globally.

This was despite the development of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific and their temporary cooling effect on global temperatures.

The global average surface air temperature during January 2025 was 13.23°C, which is 0.79°C above the 1991-2020 average for the month.

January 2025 was 1.75° above the pre-industrial level and was the 18th month in the last 19 months for which the global-average surface air temperature was more than 1.5° above the pre-industrial level.

The average temperature over European land for January 2025 was 1.80°, which is 2.51° above the 1991-2020 average.

This year was the second warmest after January 2020, which was 2.64° above average, with the highest values over southern and eastern Europe.

However, Copernicus noted the temperatures were below average over Ireland, the UK, Iceland, northern France, and northern Fennoscandia (Finland, Norway, Sweden, and part of Russia).

Outside Europe, temperatures were highest above average over northeast and northwest Canada, Alaska, and Siberia.

They were also above average over southern South America, Africa, and much of Australia and Antarctica.

January 2025 saw predominantly wetter-than-average conditions over regions of western Europe, as well as parts of Italy, Scandinavia, and the Baltic countries, with heavy precipitation leading to flooding in some regions.

Drier than average conditions established in the northern UK and Ireland, eastern Spain, and north of the Black Sea.

The data shows that the average sea surface temperature for January 2025 was 20.78°, the second-highest value on record for the month, 0.19° below the January 2024 record.

Arctic sea ice reached its lowest monthly extent for January, at 6% below average, similar to levels recorded in 2018.

Commenting on the data, Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at Copernicus said:

"January 2025 is another surprising month, continuing the record temperatures observed throughout the last two years, despite the development of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific and their temporary cooling effect on global temperatures.

"Copernicus will continue to closely monitor ocean temperatures and their influence on our evolving climate throughout 2025.”