November extends global warming trend as 2024 set to be hottest year

City: Global. So, guess what? We’re on track for another record-breaking year in terms of heat. November 2023 just came in as the second-warmest November ever.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service dropped this info, and it’s a bit alarming. The average temperature last month was 14.10°C, which is way above the usual for this time of year.

And get this: 2024 is shaping up to be the hottest year on record, with temperatures already 0.72°C above the average for the first 11 months. That’s hotter than last year!

With just a few weeks left in the year, it’s pretty much a done deal that 2024 will break records. It’s expected to be more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, which is a big deal.

Samantha Burgess from Copernicus said this data makes it clear that we need to step up our climate action. It’s urgent, folks!

Now, Europe had its share of warmth too, but it didn’t break any records there. The average temperature was 5.14°C, which is above the norm but not enough to make the top 10 warmest Novembers for the continent.

Meanwhile, places like Eastern Canada and parts of the U.S. were warmer than usual, while some areas in the western U.S. and Antarctica were actually cooler.

Sea surface temperatures were also interesting. They were pretty high, but some areas in the Pacific were cooler, hinting at a shift in weather patterns.

Speaking of patterns, we’re moving from a strong El Niño to a La Niña, which usually cools things down. But so far, that hasn’t happened. It’s a bit of a mystery what will happen next.

In the end, while we can’t blame every weather event on climate change, the trends are clear: heat waves, wildfires, and storms are becoming more frequent and intense.

Stay tuned, because this climate story is far from over!