The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), funded by the European Commission, has observed that May 2024 was the warmest May on record globally.
May experienced a global average surface air temperature 0.65°C above the 1991–2020 average, marking the 12th consecutive month for which the global average temperature reaches a record value for the corresponding month.
The 12-month streak is confirmed at the same time as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UK´s Meteorological Office publish their Annual to Decadal Climate Prediction Update.
This report shows, among many other findings, that it is likely that at least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record, beating 2023.
Carlo Buontempo, C3S director, commented: “It is shocking but not surprising that we have reached this 12-month streak.
“While this sequence of record-breaking months will eventually be interrupted, the overall signature of climate change remains and there is no sign in sight of a change in such a trend.
“We are living in unprecedented times, but we also have unprecedented skill in monitoring the climate and this can help inform our actions.
“This string of hottest months will be remembered as comparatively cold but if we manage to stabilise the concentrations of GHGs [greenhouse gases] in the atmosphere in the very near future, we might be able to return to these ‘cold’ temperatures by the end of the century.”
Warmest May
The data from the C3S and the WMO-UK Met Office report are being used to underpin a major climate statement from the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.
Guterres stated: “For the past year, every turn of the calendar has turned up the heat. Our planet is trying to tell us something. But we don’t seem to be listening.
“We’re shattering global temperature records and reaping the whirlwind. It’s climate crunch time. Now is the time to mobilise, act and deliver.”
The Copernicus Climate Change Service data for May shows that:
- The global average temperature for May 2024 was 1.52°C above the 1850–1900 pre-industrial average, marking the 11th consecutive month (since July 2023) at or above 1.5°C;
- The global average temperature for the last 12 months (June 2023 – May 2024) is the highest on record, at 0.75°C above the 1991–2020 average and 1.63°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.
A more comprehensive analysis regarding other key climate indicators, such as sea surface temperatures and sea ice coverage will be released later this week.