1017. Global Temperatures in April 2024

According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, April 2024 was the hottest April on record, marking the 11th consecutive month with the highest recorded monthly temperature.

April 2024 was warmer globally than any previous April in the data record, with a global surface temperature of 15.03°C, 0.67°C higher than the 1991-2020 average, and 0.14°C above the previous high recorded in April 2016. This value was 1.58°C higher than the average temperature in the pre-industrial reference period of 1850-1900. The average temperature for the 12 months between May 2023 and April 2024 was 0.73°C higher than the 1991-2020 average temperature, and 1.61°C higher than the 1850-1900 average temperature.

El Niño in the eastern Pacific equator is weakening, but the sea surface temperature is still at a higher level. The global sea surface temperature for April 2024 over 60°S–60°N was 21.04°C, almost the same as 21.07°C, the highest monthly temperature recorded in March 2024. According to a scientist from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, while El Nino has contributed to temperature fluctuations, the energy tapped in the atmosphere and the ocean due to anthropogenic greenhouse gases has pushed temperatures to record levels. 

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Information Program)