ISTANBUL– Entering 2025 with the influence of La Nina, last month unexpectedly was recorded as the hottest January on record, according to Levent Kurnaz, director of the Climate Change and Policy Application and Research Center at Bogazici University.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service, affiliated with the EU, released the temperature report for the first month of the year.

Globally, January 2025 was 0.79°C warmer than the 1991-2020 average for January with an absolute surface air temperature of 13.23°C, making it the hottest January on record, according to the report.

The average air temperature was 1.75°C above pre-industrial levels, and including last month, 18 out of the last 19 months have been 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Globally, the annual average for the latest 12-month period, from February 2024 to January 2025, was 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.61°C above the estimated 1850-1900 average used to define the pre-industrial level.

Last month, the average sea surface temperature was 20.78°C, just 0.19°C below last year’s January record. Despite this, it became the second-highest January sea temperature on record.

The average sea surface temperature in January was 20.78°C, just 0.19°C below last year’s record but still the second-highest January sea temperature on record.

February unlikely to set record

Kurnaz told Anadolu that El Nino and La Nina determine the temperature of the Pacific Ocean.

He said when the Pacific Ocean is warm, global temperatures tend to be higher. He noted that 2025 was the hottest January in recorded history, with 22 of 31 days being the hottest on record for those specific days. Despite the Pacific Ocean’s waters being cold in January, the high global average temperature was surprising and unexpected for scientists.

Kurnaz said temperatures in January exceeded the average and were beyond scientists’ expectations. However, he said that temperatures would not remain high as we move toward the end of the month.

According to Kurnaz, despite entering a La Nina year, a temperature record was set in January, and if La Nina shifts to El Nino, we could see even higher temperatures, but for now, it seems unlikely to warm significantly.

He also noted that all record-breaking years began with El Nino.

Source: AA