Global Warming Persists as March 2025 Ranks Among Hottest on Record

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that March 2025 experienced unusually high global and regional temperatures, highlighting ongoing climate warming trends.

It was the second-warmest March on record worldwide, with the global average surface air temperature reaching 14.06°C-0.65°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.6°C higher than pre-industrial levels, The Caspian Post reports citing Kazinform.

In Europe, March 2025 was the warmest ever recorded, with average land temperatures 2.41°C above normal. Eastern Europe and southwest Russia saw the most extreme warmth, while the Iberian Peninsula experienced cooler-than-average conditions. Outside Europe, above-average temperatures were recorded across the Arctic, North America, parts of Asia, and Australia, while northern Canada and eastern Russia were colder than average.

Sea surface temperatures also remained very high. The global average (between 60°S and 60°N) for March was 20.96°C, the second-highest for that month. Some regions, like the Mediterranean Sea and northeast Atlantic, even surpassed previous records.

Arctic sea ice extent reached the lowest ever recorded for March in the 47-year satellite record, continuing a four-month streak of record lows. Antarctic sea ice was also significantly reduced, at 24% below average.

In terms of rainfall, southern Europe was hit by storms and floods, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula, while the UK, Ireland, central Europe, and areas around the Black Sea were drier than usual. Drought also affected parts of North America, Asia, southern Africa, and Australia, while wetter-than-average conditions were observed in regions like eastern Canada, the Middle East, and northeastern Australia.

These findings highlight ongoing shifts in global climate patterns.

Earlier, it was reported that C3S stated global sea ice reached a record low in February 2025, continuing the trend of shrinking ice coverage. The data were based on ERA5 reanalysis, which uses billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations.