\n<\/p>\n
Each circle is a city sized by population<\/p>\n
Planet Earth isn\u2019t cooling off anytime soon.<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s global average temperature was the third warmest since the preindustrial era, according to scientists at Europe\u2019s Copernicus Climate Change Service.<\/p>\n
The past 11 years have been the hottest on record, and that warmth has fueled more powerful storms, floods, heat waves, droughts and wildfires across the globe.<\/p>\n
Average global surface temperature, 1940-2025<\/p>\n
555657585960\u00b0F194019601980200020201956: 56.4\u00b0FColdest year2024: 59.2\u00b0FHottest yearTREND<\/p>\n
Source: Copernicus Climate Change Service \/ ECMWF, (2026): ERA5 hourly data on single levels from 1940 to present<\/span> <\/p>\n From Moscow to Salt Lake City, thousands of cities around the globe experienced their hottest average temperatures since at least 1950, according to a New York Times analysis of data from Copernicus.<\/p>\n In Salt Lake City, Utah, last year\u2019s average temperature was 52.5\u00b0F, the warmest year since 1950. 434547495153\u00b0F1950197520002025Hottest year1950: 47.3\u00b0F1950: 47.3\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1951: 45.9\u00b0F1951: 45.9\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1952: 46.5\u00b0F1952: 46.5\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1953: 47.6\u00b0F1953: 47.6\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1954: 48.5\u00b0F1954: 48.5\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1955: 45.4\u00b0F1955: 45.4\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1956: 46.6\u00b0F1956: 46.6\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1957: 46.9\u00b0F1957: 46.9\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1958: 49\u00b0F1958: 49\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1959: 47.7\u00b0F1959: 47.7\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1960: 46.9\u00b0F1960: 46.9\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1961: 47.3\u00b0F1961: 47.3\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1962: 47.8\u00b0F1962: 47.8\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1963: 48\u00b0F1963: 48\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1964: 44.8\u00b0F1964: 44.8\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1965: 46.3\u00b0F1965: 46.3\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1966: 48.1\u00b0F1966: 48.1\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1967: 47\u00b0F1967: 47\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1968: 46.1\u00b0F1968: 46.1\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1969: 47.2\u00b0F1969: 47.2\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1970: 46.5\u00b0F1970: 46.5\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1971: 45.4\u00b0F1971: 45.4\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1972: 47.2\u00b0F1972: 47.2\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1973: 46.2\u00b0F1973: 46.2\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1974: 47.8\u00b0F1974: 47.8\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1975: 44.8\u00b0F1975: 44.8\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1976: 47.2\u00b0F1976: 47.2\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1977: 48.6\u00b0F1977: 48.6\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1978: 48.4\u00b0F1978: 48.4\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1979: 47.6\u00b0F1979: 47.6\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1980: 48.6\u00b0F1980: 48.6\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1981: 50\u00b0F1981: 50\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1982: 46.3\u00b0F1982: 46.3\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1983: 47.5\u00b0F1983: 47.5\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1984: 45.3\u00b0F1984: 45.3\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1985: 46.6\u00b0F1985: 46.6\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1986: 49\u00b0F1986: 49\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1987: 48.6\u00b0F1987: 48.6\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1988: 49.4\u00b0F1988: 49.4\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1989: 48.6\u00b0F1989: 48.6\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1990: 49.1\u00b0F1990: 49.1\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1991: 47.6\u00b0F1991: 47.6\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1992: 49.9\u00b0F1992: 49.9\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1993: 46.5\u00b0F1993: 46.5\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1994: 50\u00b0F1994: 50\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1995: 49.2\u00b0F1995: 49.2\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1996: 48.9\u00b0F1996: 48.9\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1997: 47.9\u00b0F1997: 47.9\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1998: 47.6\u00b0F1998: 47.6\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year1999: 49\u00b0F1999: 49\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2000: 50\u00b0F2000: 50\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2001: 50.4\u00b0F2001: 50.4\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2002: 48.3\u00b0F2002: 48.3\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2003: 50.8\u00b0F2003: 50.8\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2004: 48.9\u00b0F2004: 48.9\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2005: 49.3\u00b0F2005: 49.3\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2006: 49\u00b0F2006: 49\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2007: 50\u00b0F2007: 50\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2008: 48\u00b0F2008: 48\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2009: 47.8\u00b0F2009: 47.8\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2010: 48.3\u00b0F2010: 48.3\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2011: 47.3\u00b0F2011: 47.3\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2012: 51.5\u00b0F2012: 51.5\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2013: 48\u00b0F2013: 48\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2014: 50.7\u00b0F2014: 50.7\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2015: 51.8\u00b0F2015: 51.8\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2016: 51\u00b0F2016: 51\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2017: 50.7\u00b0F2017: 50.7\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2018: 51\u00b0F2018: 51\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2019: 48.2\u00b0F2019: 48.2\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2020: 50.5\u00b0F2020: 50.5\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2021: 51.1\u00b0F2021: 51.1\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2022: 49.4\u00b0F2022: 49.4\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2023: 48.3\u00b0F2023: 48.3\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2024: 51.2\u00b0F2024: 51.2\u00b0FColdest yearHottest year2025: 52.5\u00b0F2025: 52.5\u00b0FColdest yearTREND<\/p>\n The warming climate affects weather patterns. For every 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature, the atmosphere holds about 7 percent more moisture, which increases the likelihood of more intense rainfall and the risk of severe floods. A similar relationship can be found with heat waves and drought, according to Samantha Burgess, the deputy director of Copernicus.<\/p>\n \u201cClimate change is effectively a threat multiplier,\u201d she said. \u201cAn individual event may not be directly attributed to climate change, because we\u2019ve always had flooding events and we\u2019ve always had heat waves, but they are often made worse because of that long term climate change signal.\u201d<\/p>\n But people don\u2019t experience the average temperature for the whole year, they live through weather at a particular time. Record hot years are made up of shorter periods that can be both hotter and colder than average.<\/p>\n In Salt Lake City, Utah, 11 months were hotter than normal in 2025. December was particularly hotter than normal, while January was colder than normal.<\/p>\n 1030507090\u00b0FJan.Feb.MarchAprilMayJuneJulyAug.Sept.Oct.Nov.Dec.NORMALJanuary23.5\u00b0FJanuary23.5\u00b0FFebruary32.8\u00b0FFebruary32.8\u00b0FMarch39.8\u00b0FMarch39.8\u00b0FApril47.9\u00b0FApril47.9\u00b0FMay59.0\u00b0FMay59.0\u00b0FJune71.8\u00b0FJune71.8\u00b0FJuly78.7\u00b0FJuly78.7\u00b0FAugust76.3\u00b0FAugust76.3\u00b0FSeptember67.6\u00b0FSeptember67.6\u00b0FOctober51.4\u00b0FOctober51.4\u00b0FNovember44.9\u00b0FNovember44.9\u00b0FDecember37.0\u00b0FDecember37.0\u00b0F <\/p>\n Note: \u201cNormal\u201d refers to the average temperature in each month during the years 1991 to 2020.<\/span> <\/p>\n Dr. Burgess said that emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and warm ocean temperatures were the driving forces behind 2025\u2019s atmospheric warmth. Another factor is the reduction in sulfate aerosols, tiny particles formed when coal and other fossil fuels are burned.<\/p>\n They had been blocking sunlight and keeping parts of the Earth cooler, she said. But efforts to cut sulfur pollution from industry and commercial shipping have led to cleaner air and more sunlight hitting the earth\u2019s surface, heating up parts of the land and ocean.<\/p>\n By contrast, much of India was cooler than normal because of a lingering La Ni\u00f1a weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean in early 2025 that resulted in more rainfall.<\/p>\n Cold records used to break all the time, but now they hardly ever do. Hottest records, on the other hand, break regularly. More than 1,200 cities had their hottest year on record this year. Only Manvi, a city of 71,000 in India, had its coldest year.<\/p>\n Number of temperature records per year, among cities with at least 50,000 people<\/p>\n Long-term global warming is now expected to surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) by 2029, Copernicus estimates. The planet is likely to breach that limit a decade earlier than predicted at the 2015 Paris climate summit. At that meeting, more than 190 nations agreed to the target to minimize the growing risks of catastrophic storms, droughts, wildfires, and species extinction.<\/p>\n Global emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases from factories, vehicles and power plants continue to rise. At the same time, natural carbon \u201csinks\u201d such as the ocean, forests and soils are becoming less able to absorb them.<\/p>\n The only way to slow climate change \u2013 both overall warming of the atmosphere and the resulting extreme weather events \u2013 is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus.<\/p>\n Methodology<\/p>\n Historical and current temperature data is sourced from ERA5-Land, a reanalysis dataset provided by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. This dataset provides a global, consistent record of surface temperatures from 1950 to the present, at a resolution of roughly 6 miles (9 kilometers).<\/p>\n City boundaries are sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau (combining “Places” and “County Subdivisions”) for locations in the United States, and the European Commission\u2019s Global Human Settlement Layer (GHS-UCDB) for international urban centers. This resulted in a list of 59,781 towns and cities.<\/p>\n For the temperature analysis, The Times journalists identified a representative point guaranteed to be within each city’s land boundary, and then extracted the monthly temperature time series for the specific ERA5-Land grid cell containing that point. Because ERA5-Land data covers only land surfaces, coastal or island cities where the representative point fell on a water pixel were matched to the average of valid land pixels within a 25-kilometer (or, for remote islands, 200-kilometer) radius.<\/p>\n Temperatures may appear slightly cooler than those reported by your local weather station or airport. This is expected and due to the nature of gridded data. A single ERA5-Land pixel represents the average temperature across an area of roughly 30 square miles (81 square kilometers). A weather station is a single thermometer often placed in a warm microclimate (like a tarmac). The grid cell naturally averages out these hot spots with surrounding cooler areas like parks or vegetation. Likewise, in mountainous regions, the elevation of the model’s grid cell may differ from the specific elevation of the weather station. If the grid cell averages a slope that is higher than the valley floor where the city center sits, the reported temperature will be cooler.<\/p>\n While the absolute temperatures may differ from a specific thermometer, the relative trends remain consistent. A record-breaking warm year at the airport is likely a record-breaking warm year for the surrounding climate grid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Each circle is a city sized by population Planet Earth isn\u2019t cooling off anytime soon. Last year\u2019s global average temperature was the third warmest since the preindustrial era, according to scientists at Europe\u2019s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The past 11 years have been the hottest on record, and that warmth has fueled more powerful storms,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[109,132,3048,1569],"class_list":{"0":"post-41553","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-hot","9":"tag-live","10":"tag-town","11":"tag-year"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe temperature here has increased at a rate of 0.5\u00b0F per decade.<\/p>\nCold records rarely break anymore<\/h3>\n