Key Takeaways:
Last month marked a continuation of the world’s unprecedented warm streak. February 2024 has been recorded as the warmest February ever. This makes it the ninth consecutive month of breaking warmth records.
Additionally, February 2024 concluded the warmest December-through-February period for both hemispheres. This information comes from the scientists at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
Here are some key points from NOAA’s latest monthly global climate report:
Climate by the numbers:
For February 2024 and the season spanning December 2023 to February 2024:
The global land and ocean surface temperature for February was 2.52 degrees F (1.40 degrees C) above the 20th-century average of 53.8 degrees F (12.1 degrees C). This temperature set a new record, making it the warmest February in NOAA’s 175-year global climate record.
When looking at how continents ranked, Europe, North America, and South America experienced their warmest February on record. Africa had its second warmest February.
The three-month season, from December 2023 to February 2024, was recorded as the Northern Hemisphere’s warmest meteorological winter and the Southern Hemisphere’s warmest meteorological summer on record. The global surface temperature was 2.45 degrees F (1.36 degrees C) above the 20th-century average.
As of now, the temperature for the year-to-date (January and February 2024) is the warmest such period on record. There is a 45% chance that 2024 will end up being the warmest year in NOAA’s 175-year record, with a 99% chance it will be among the top five warmest years.
Other notable climate events:
Global sea ice coverage was notably low. The global sea ice extent was the fourth smallest in the 46-year record, being 460,000 square miles below the 1991–2020 average. The Arctic sea ice extent was slightly below average, by 100,000 square miles. Meanwhile, the Antarctic sea ice extent was significantly below average, by 370,000 square miles, making it the second smallest on record.
Tropical activity was higher than average. There were eleven named storms around the globe in February, surpassing the 1991–2020 average of seven named storms. Only two of these storms made landfall, both affecting northern Australia with gusty winds. The only major tropical cyclone was Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Djoungou, which stayed in the central Indian Ocean, far from any major land masses. There were no active storms in the Pacific Ocean or the North Atlantic. However, there was one weak tropical cyclone, Akara, in the South Atlantic. This is noteworthy because atmospheric conditions typically prevent tropical storm development in that basin.
For more details and to access NOAA’s latest climate report and images, visit their website.