Statement
Bonn and Geneva, 05/06/2024
Monthly global surface air temperature anomalies (°C) relative to 1850–1900 from January 1940 to May 2024, plotted as time series for consecutive 12-month periods spanning June to May of the following year. The last 12 months (June 2023 – May 2024) are shown with a thick red line while all other years with thin lines shaded according to the decade, from blue (1940s) to brick red (2020s). Data source: ERA5. Credit: C3S/ECMWF.
ACCESS TO DATA | DOWNLOAD THE ORIGINAL IMAGE
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), funded by the European Commission, observed that May 2024 was the warmest May on record globally, with 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, based on ERA5 data.
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, which synthesizes the annual to decadal predictions made by these institutions for the near future for the 2024-2028 period. 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, comments: “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.” He also adds: “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 in the atmosphere in the very near future we might be able to return to these “cold” temperatures by the end of the century.”
The data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the WMO-UK Met Office report are being used to underpin a major climate statement from the UN Secretary General, António Guterres (live on Wednesday 16.00 CEST).
United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, states: “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.
Twelve-month running mean anomalies of the global average surface air temperature relative to the 1850–1900 pre-industrial average, based on monthly values from January 1940 to May 2024. Data source: ERA5. Credit: C3S/ECMWF.
ACCESS TO DATA | DOWNLOAD THE ORIGINAL IMAGE
A more comprehensive analysis regarding other key climate indicators, such as sea surface temperatures and sea ice coverage will be released on June 6th as part of the regular monthly climate bulletin.
– End –
You can find C3S monthly climate bulletin here.
You can find C3S seasonal forecast here.
You can find the WMO Global Annual decadal Climate Update 2024-2028 here.
Watch live the statement from UNSG.
Answers to frequently asked questions regarding temperature monitoring can be found here.
More information on the reference period used, can be found here.
Copernicus is a component of the European Union’s space programme, with funding by the EU, and is its flagship Earth observation programme, which operates through six thematic services: Atmosphere, Marine, Land, Climate Change, Security and Emergency. It delivers freely accessible operational data and services providing users with reliable and up-to-date information related to our planet and its environment. The programme is coordinated and managed by the European Commission and implemented in partnership with the Member States, the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), EU Agencies and Mercator Océan, amongst others.
ECMWF operates two services from the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation programme: the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). They also contribute to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS), which is implemented by the EU Joint Research Council (JRC). The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is an independent intergovernmental organisation supported by 35 states. It is both a research institute and a 24/7 operational service, producing and disseminating numerical weather predictions to its Member States. This data is fully available to the national meteorological services in the Member States. The supercomputer facility (and associated data archive) at ECMWF is one of the largest of its type in Europe and Member States can use 25% of its capacity for their own purposes.
ECMWF has expanded its location across its Member States for some activities. In addition to an HQ in the UK and Computing Centre in Italy, new offices with a focus on activities conducted in partnership with the EU, such as Copernicus, are located in Bonn, Germany.
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Hottest May on record
NURIA LOPEZ
Media and Communication Manager
Copernicus Services
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
Reading, UK | Bologna, Italy | Bonn, Germany
Email: copernicus-press@ecmwf.int
m: +44 739 227 7523
CLARE NULLIS
Media Officer and Spokesperson
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
Geneva, Switzerland
Email: cnullis@wmo.int
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