Last month was officially the second hottest November on record.
That’s according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which has revealed that global average temperatures hit a balmy 14.10°C.
That’s just 0.12°C short of November 2023, which was the hottest November on record.
It’s also 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 average for November.
The news will probably come as a surprise to many Britons, who faced storms, snow, and heavy rain towards the end of last month.
However, based on the findings, scientists say that 2024 is now ‘virtually certain’ to be the hottest year on record.
‘With Copernicus data in from the penultimate month of the year, we can now confirm with virtual certainty that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first calendar year above 1.5°C,’ said Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of C3S.
‘This does not mean that the Paris Agreement has been breached, but it does mean ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever.’
Last month was officially the second hottest November on record. That’s according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which has revealed that global average temperatures hit a balmy 14.10°C
Based on the findings, scientists say that 2024 is not ‘virtually certain’ to be the hottest year on record. Pictured: Sydney beach on November 27
CS3 takes billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations around the world.
This allows it to track the global surface air and sea temperatures, sea ice cover, and hydrological variables.
Its recordings confirm that November 2024 was the second-warmest November globally, coming in at 1.62°C above the pre-industrial level.
It was also the 16th month in a 17-month period for which the global-average surface air temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
The year-to-date global average temperature is currently 0.72°C above the 1991-2020 average, which is the highest on record for this period and 0.14°C warmer than the same period in 2023.
At this point, CS3 says that it’s ‘effectively certain’ that 2024 is going to be the warmest year on record.
In Europe, it was a very different story.
The average temperature for November 2024 5.14°C, which leaves it outside the top 10 warmest Novembers on record for Europe.
November 2024 was the second-warmest November globally, coming in at 1.62°C above the pre-industrial level
At this point, CS3 says that it’s ‘effectively certain’ that 2024 is going to be the warmest year on record
Temperatures were most above-average over eastern Canada and the central and eastern USA, most of Mexico, Morocco, northwest Africa, China, Pakistan, most of Siberia, and Australia. Pictured: a wilfire in New York on November 16
However, outside of Europe, temperatures were most above-average over eastern Canada and the central and eastern USA, most of Mexico, Morocco, northwest Africa, China, Pakistan, most of Siberia, and Australia.
C3S also tracks the sea surface temperature, and found that this was 20.58°C.
This makes it the second-highest value on record for the month, second only to November 2023.
Finally, C3S’s recordings reveal that Arctic sea ice reached its third lowest monthly extent for November, at nine per cent below average.
Meanwhile, down at the South Pole, Antarctica’s sea ice extent reached its lowest monthly value for November, at 10 per cent below average.
The report comes shorty after scientists warned that the Arctic could be ice-free in just three years.
Using 300 computer simulations, scientists predicted that the Arctic’s first ice-free day is guaranteed to occur within nine to 20 years regardless of how humans alter their greenhouse gas emissions.
However, nine out of the 300 simulations suggested that an ice-free day could occur as soon as three years’ time, regardless of how humans act from now.
Study author Dr Céline Heuzé said: ‘Globally, the Arctic sea ice plays a crucial role in controlling the climate by sending back sunlight to space.
‘When we lose this white surface and instead are left with the dark ocean, the energy from the sun stays with us, is absorbed by the ocean, and results in even more global warming.’
