January 2025 marked the warmest January ever recorded globally, continuing a trend of extreme temperatures despite a shift from the El Nino warming pattern to the La Nina cooling phase. European Union scientists reported that the global average temperature for January remained significantly higher than pre-industrial levels, with La Nina’s cooling effect not fully developed yet.

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• January 2025 was the warmest January on record globally, despite a shift towards the La Nina cooling phase.
• The global average temperature in January was 1.75°C above pre-industrial times.
• This marked the 18th out of the last 19 months with temperatures more than 1.5°C higher than pre-industrial levels.
• The shift from El Nino to La Nina, which usually cools global temperatures, did not fully mitigate the record heat.
• The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that La Nina has not fully developed yet, with neutral conditions prevailing.
• Even if La Nina fully develops, its cooling effect might not be enough to curb global warming, which is also driven by greenhouse gas emissions.
• The extreme heat observed in January was part of a broader pattern of rising temperatures, with fossil fuel emissions identified as the largest contributor.
• Scientists from Berkeley Earth and the UK Met Office predict 2025 will be the third-warmest year on record, despite La Nina.
• January 2025’s average sea surface temperatures were the second-highest on record for that month, exceeded only by January 2024.
• The shift towards La Nina has not significantly reduced global temperatures due to continued high greenhouse gas emissions.