Earth Continues to "Heat Up": 2024 Becomes the Warmest Year on Record

According to the latest data from the National Climate Center, the global average surface temperature in 2024 was 1.49°C higher than pre-industrial levels (1850–1900 average) and 0.61°C above the 1991–2020 baseline.

Source: National Climate Center

According to the latest data from the National Climate Center, the global average surface temperature in 2024 was 1.49°C higher than pre-industrial levels (1850–1900 average) and 0.61°C above the 1991–2020 baseline. This makes 2024 the warmest year on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2023 by 0.07°C. Notably, the global average surface temperature broke historical monthly records for 13 consecutive months from June 2023 to June 2024 (Figure 1).

                             
Figure 1: Global monthly surface temperature anomalies (January 1961 to December 2024, relative to the 1991–2020 average for the same period). The bold red line represents data for 2024, while the bold yellow line shows data for 2023. Historical years are depicted with thin lines, transitioning by decade from light blue (1960s) to light red (2020s).

Regions such as northern and southern East Asia, Southeast Asia, central and southern Europe, much of East and South Africa, eastern and central-southern parts of the Americas, and vast areas of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans experienced their highest-ever annual average temperatures. Since 1991, Europe, Asia, and North America have seen a marked warming trend, with rates significantly exceeding the global average. Compared to the previous 30-year period (1961–1990), warming rates have increased by 0.40°C per decade in Europe, 0.28°C in Asia, and 0.23°C in North America.

In China, 2024 marked its warmest year on record, with the annual average temperature in most regions ranking among the top three in history (Figure 2). Specifically, areas including northern China, southern Northeast China, large parts of East and Central China, southwestern and eastern Northwest China, northern Southwest China, and southeastern Tibet reached new temperature highs.

                               
 
                                              Figure 2: 2024 Annual Average Temperature Ranking in China

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau also recorded its warmest year, with temperatures 1.0°C above the baseline. In the polar regions, 2024 saw Arctic and Antarctic surface temperatures 0.92°C and 0.13°C higher than the baseline, ranking as the sixth and eighth warmest years on record for these areas, respectively.