January was fifth-warmest month on record globally, but not in Europe

Despite recent cold weather across much of the Northern Hemisphere, last month was the fifth-warmest January on record globally, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

The average temperature reached 12.95 degrees Celsius, 0.51 degrees above the 1991-2020 average. The warmest January on record remains 2025, which was 0.28 degrees hotter than this year.

In Europe, however, January was the coldest since 2010, with an average temperature of minus 2.34 degrees, 1.63 degrees below the 1991-2020 average. Other Northern Hemisphere regions also experienced extreme cold, including severe snowstorms in the United States at the end of the month.

These cold spells were more than offset globally by record heat in the Southern Hemisphere, with intense fires reported in Australia and Chile and severe flooding in southern Africa.

Samantha Burgess, Copernicus' strategic lead for climate, said the month illustrated how the climate system can produce extreme cold in one region and intense heat in another, highlighting the importance of preparing society for increasing climate risks.

Sea surface temperatures averaged 20.68 degrees in January, the fourth-highest for the month, 0.29 degrees below the January 2024 record. Parts of the North Atlantic, including the Norwegian Sea, recorded record-high temperatures.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service regularly publishes data on global surface temperatures, sea ice and precipitation, based on computer-generated analyses that integrate billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations worldwide.