Earth records its second warmest April ever, approaching a record for 2024
The latest Copernicus report also confirms that the global average temperature remains above the fateful 1.5°C.
BarcelonaThis April was the second warmest on record worldwide. The average monthly global temperature was 14.96°C, just 0.07°C below the record set in April 2024 and 0.6°C above the average for this month in the reference period (1991-2020).
This is the conclusion of the monthly report from the European Copernicus programme's climate change service, published Thursday, which also highlights that this April's average temperature was 1.51°C above the estimated average for the pre-industrial period (1850-1900). This is the 21st of the last 22 months in which the global average temperature has exceeded the fateful 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
"Continuous monitoring of climate developments is an essential tool for understanding and responding to the changes underway in our climate system," explains Samantha Burgess, Strategic Climate Officer at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), in the report.
As for Europe, this was the sixth warmest April in the entire historical series. The average temperature across the continent was 9.38°C, 1.01°C above the 1991-2020 average. Thermometers rose significantly higher in parts of eastern Europe, western Russia, and Norway, among other regions. However, temperatures in the southeastern part of the continent were colder than normal.
Outside of Europe, temperatures were particularly warm in areas such as eastern Russia, much of west-central Asia, North America, and parts of Antarctica. On the other hand, in areas such as South and Northeast America and parts of Greenland, temperatures have been below average.
The second warmest April also at sea
Regarding sea surface water, the global average temperature was 20.89°C this past month. This makes April the second warmest on record for seas and oceans around the world, just 0.15°C below last year's record-breaking April. Significantly, the record heat levels were set in large areas of the northeast Atlantic. Much of the Mediterranean Sea also saw very warm temperatures, but below the records recorded during March, according to Copernicus data.
Regarding Arctic sea ice extent, this April was 3% below average, the sixth lowest monthly extent for an April in 47 years of satellite records. This figure comes after four months of record-low monthly values for the time of year. Meanwhile, Antarctic sea ice extent has fallen 10% below average this past month, the tenth lowest figure on record for an April.
As for precipitation in Europe, this April it has remained above average in much of the southern part of the continent, particularly in the Alps, where rainfall has caused flooding, landslides and avalanches, as well as heavy snowfall. Elsewhere, rainfall has been abundant and has caused problems in several parts of the Americas, southern Africa, northern Australia, and central and eastern Russia.
