Copernicus Confirms September 2024 Second Warmest as Year Tracks Toward Record

The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service announced on Tuesday that September 2024 was the second warmest September globally in recorded history, registering an average surface air temperature of 16.17 degrees Celsius.

The monthly temperature was 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 climatological average and 1.54°C above the pre-industrial benchmark, marking the fourteenth month out of the past fifteen in which global surface temperatures exceeded the critical 1.5°C threshold.

Unbroken Streak of Extreme Global Thermal Anomalies

Copernicus climatologists noted that the global temperature anomaly for the first nine months of 2024 is 0.71°C above average, standing 0.19°C warmer than the equivalent period of 2023, making it virtually certain that 2024 will culminate as the warmest year on record.

Ocean heat content also remained near record levels, with average sea surface temperatures between 60°S and 60°N reaching 20.83°C, the second highest value ever measured for September, sustaining destructive storms across the Atlantic basin.

“The temperature anomalies observed over the past 15 months demonstrate that human-induced climate warming is accelerating, making 2024 almost certain to be the hottest year on record.” — Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of Copernicus Climate Change Service

Widespread Extreme Weather and Hydrological Impacts

Extreme precipitation anomalies accompanied the anomalous heat, unleashing Storm Boris across Central and Eastern Europe with catastrophic flooding, while torrential typhoon rains struck Southeast Asia alongside persistent droughts across South America.

Climate scientists cautioned that the escalating frequency of simultaneous hydrological and meteorological disasters underscores the urgent necessity for accelerated emissions reductions ahead of the upcoming COP29 climate summit.

Sources

• Copernicus Climate Change Service
• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts