Global Temperatures Stay Above 1.5°C Threshold After Second-Hottest April on Record

April 2025 has been confirmed as the second hottest April on record, with global surface air temperatures once again exceeding the critical 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels, according to data released by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

The report revealed that global temperatures in April were 0.6°C above the 1991–2020 average and 1.51°C warmer than the pre-industrial baseline (1850–1900). This marks the 21st time in the past 22 months that global average temperatures have breached the 1.5°C limit, a threshold identified by scientists as crucial for avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.

From May 2024 to April 2025, the average global temperature was 1.58°C above pre-industrial levels, underscoring the sustained nature of the current warming trend. The findings are based on a comprehensive analysis of billions of data points collected from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations across the globe.

Notably, this persistent heat occurred despite the onset of a La Niña event in the Pacific Ocean—a phenomenon typically associated with global cooling.

Sea surface temperatures outside the polar regions averaged 20.89°C, making it the second warmest April for ocean temperatures, trailing only the record set in April 2024.

In Europe, the average land temperature was 9.38°C—1.01°C above the 1991–2020 average—making it the sixth warmest April recorded for the continent. Eastern Europe, western Russia, Kazakhstan, and Norway experienced particularly high temperature anomalies.

Warmer-than-average conditions were also reported across the Russian Far East, much of west-central Asia, North America, parts of Australia, and areas of Antarctica. However, some regions experienced cooler-than-average temperatures, including southern South America, eastern Canada, northern Australia, northeastern Greenland, and parts of East Antarctica.

In the Arctic, sea ice extent was 3% below average, ranking as the sixth lowest April extent in the 47-year satellite record. Antarctic sea ice extent was also significantly reduced, at 10% below average, the 10th lowest for the month.

Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates C3S, emphasized the urgency of the findings:

“Globally, April 2025 was the second hottest April on record, continuing the long sequence of months over 1.5°C above pre-industrial. Continuous climate monitoring is an essential tool for understanding and responding to the ongoing changes of our climate system,” she said.