According to new information released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, January 2025 was the hottest January recorded worldwide.
The global temperature last month was 0.79°C higher than the average for January from 1991 to 2020.
However, Ireland presented a contrasting scenario.
Data from Met Éireann indicates that the temperature for the previous month was 0.45°C lower than the latest long-term average from 1991 to 2020.
Overall, January in Ireland was relatively cool, marked by two significant weather events: Storm Éowyn on January 24 and snowfall on January 4-5.
Read more: Storm Éowyn broke wind speed records at four stations
Prof Wiltshire described Storm Éowyn as a “once in a lifetime storm.”
Due to its rarity, she noted that it was impossible to directly link it to the climate crisis.
“It’s also impossible to claim it had no connection to climate change,” Prof Wiltshire stated.
Global warming enhances the frequency and intensity of extreme weather phenomena.
“It’s crucial to examine seasonal fluctuations and track changes over the past century,” Prof Wiltshire emphasized.
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Over a 30-year span, Ireland experienced a warming of 0.7°C
According to Met Éireann data, Ireland has warmed by 0.7°C and has become 7% wetter in the last 30 years when compared to the 30-year period from 1961 to 1990.
Prof Wiltshire noted that the climate in Ireland has evolved within her lifetime.
“The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has never been this high,” she remarked.
Global warming is primarily driven by human actions, such as fossil fuel combustion. Average surface temperatures worldwide have increased by 1.1°C since pre-industrial times.
In fact, 2024 was the hottest year documented globally and the first year in which the global average temperature surpassed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Data from Copernicus reveals that the average global surface air temperature was 13.23°C in January 2025, which is 0.79°C higher than the global average for that month.
January 2025 was also 1.75°C above pre-industrial levels.
This marks the 18th month out of the last 19 where the global average surface air temperature was more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
While most European countries recorded temperatures above their 1991-2020 averages last month, Ireland, the United Kingdom, northern France, and Iceland all experienced below-average temperatures.
Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, expressed surprise at the January 2025 temperature data, noting it continues the trend of record high temperatures seen over the past two years, despite the onset of La Niña conditions, which typically have a cooling effect on global temperatures.
