A special supplement to the American Meteorological Society Bulletin, "The State of the Climate in 2024," provides a detailed update on global climate indicators, major weather events, and more. data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments around the world. The report, compiled by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information in collaboration with scientists around the world, reveals that 2024 was another year marked by extraordinary climate change, most notably record temperatures and rising sea levels.

Unstoppable global warming

The year 2024 was the hottest year on record, according to all six global temperature datasets. the warmest year in recorded history, beating the previous record set in 2023 by 0.08°C to 0.12°C. The global average surface temperature was 0.63°C–0.72°C higher than the 1991–2020 average. The last 10 years (2015–2024) are now the warmest 10 years in the instrumental record, confirming the ongoing warming trend.

Concentrations of the main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere – carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – continued to rise at record high levelsThe annual global average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 422.8 ± 0.1 ppm, representing a 52 % increase over pre-industrial levels (~278 ppm).

The extreme heat was also reflected in extreme surface temperatures. In 2024, record high number of warm days (TX90p) and record low number of cold nights (TN10p). The frequency of high daily maximum humid heat (TwX90p) in 2024 significantly exceeded the previous record.

Regionally, this trend was equally evident:

• Canada recorded the warmest year in its 77-year history, with an average temperature 2°C above the 1991-2020 normal.
• Mexico reached the highest annual average temperature since national records began in 1953.
• Caribbean region experienced the warmest year since 1950.
• IN Europe 2024 was the warmest year on record, with an average anomaly of +1.26°C over land. Many European countries reported their warmest year.

Oceans under pressure

The global average annual sea surface temperature in 2024 was 0.06°C higher than the previous record set in 2023. Daily global average sea surface temperatures were at record high levels from the beginning of 2024 to the end of June.

Heat content in the oceans from 0 to 2000 dbar reached record levels in 2024. From 2023 to 2024, the heat content of the oceans increased by the equivalent of ~1.5 W m-2 of heat applied to the ocean surface.

Global mean sea level (GMSL) reached a new high in 2024, rising to 105.8 mm above the 1993 average, which is thirteenth consecutive year of increase. Marine heat waves in 2024 were more extensive, longer lasting, and more severe than in previous years. The Atlantic Ocean, equatorial regions, and parts of the Southern Ocean were in a state of marine heat waves.

Other significant climate events

• Arctic experienced the second warmest year on record, with temperature anomalies 1.27°C above the 1991–2020 average. Annual precipitation in the Pan-Arctic was the third highest on record.
• IN Antarctica Ice mass loss continued, reaching 125 Gt between January and November 2024.
• Total volume of water vapor (TCWV) reached record values in 2024 across all six monitored datasets, confirming the link to unprecedentedly high global average surface temperatures.
• The tropical cyclone season was below average globally (82 named storms compared to an average of 87). Nevertheless, it was Atlantic hurricane season 'hyperactive'Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, caused widespread inland flooding, including historic flooding in western North Carolina, leading to fatalities. The western North Pacific experienced a below-average number of cyclones, but still had 9 strong typhoons (Category 4 or 5).
• The global severity and extent of drought in 2024 declined after a record peak in late 2023. However, severe drought persisted in some regions, such as southwestern and northern North America, parts of tropical South America, and the Mediterranean.

The year 2024 once again confirmed the accelerating trend of climate change, with persistent record temperatures and their consequences for the Earth's oceans and various ecosystems. JRi

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