
Europe experienced its hottest March on record by a significant margin, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, with the continent facing extreme and contrasting rainfall patterns.
March 2024 was 0.26°C hotter than the previous European record set in 2014, with some regions seeing their wettest or driest March in decades. Malta, for instance, recorded more rain than usual.
Globally, it was the second-warmest March ever, continuing a streak of record-breaking heat that began in July 2023. Since then, nearly every month has been at least 1.5°C warmer than pre-industrial levels.
March stood at 1.6°C above that baseline, a level scientists describe as “remarkable” and consistent with human-driven climate change.
The rising temperatures have intensified extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves. In March, climate change fuelled a deadly heatwave in Central Asia and contributed to severe rains that killed 16 in Argentina.
While a cooling La Niña phase was expected to ease global heat after the El Niño peak in early 2024, temperatures remain unusually high. This has prompted scientific debate about additional warming factors.
Climate records from Copernicus, dating to 1940 and supported by long-term data like ice cores and tree rings, suggest Earth is currently experiencing its warmest period in over 125,000 years.
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