Weather

2025 Begins With Warmest January, Despite Shift in Weather Patterns

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Does it feel like it’s getting hotter? According to the latest meteorlogical data, temperatures are indeed rising.

Published

2 months ago

February 27, 2025

Jasmin Brown

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Does it feel like it’s getting hotter? According to the latest meteorlogical data, temperatures are indeed rising.

Last month was the world’s warmest January on record, despite a shift towards the cooling La Niña weather pattern.

It’s the latest chapter in a continuing streak of extreme global temperatures.

The average global land and ocean surface temperature was 2.39 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average, ranking as the warmest January in the 176-year global climate record.

This is despite the world shifting from the El Niño warming pattern and turning towards its cooler La Niña counterpart.

El Niño peaked more than a year ago.

Experts say even if La Niña does fully emerge, its cooling effect may not be enough to temporarily curb global temperatures.

This is affected by factors such as extreme heat seen in other ocean basins and the main driver of climate change: emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

Globally, average sea surface temperatures in January were the second-highest on record for the month.

But there are some things we can do to combat climate change like: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing fossil fuel use, using renewable energy, conserving energy and restoring nature.