Earth’s prolonged streak of abnormal heat continued into 2025 despite the arrival of La Niña ocean conditions, which typically bring cooler temperatures.

The average surface air temperature was 55.81 degrees Fahrenheit That's 1.42 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1991-2020 average for the month.

The world warmed to yet another monthly heat record in January, according to the European climate service Copernicus.

This means that January 2025 stands out as anomalous even by the standards of the last two years,” Hausfather explains. Writing for Discover Magazine, Tom Yulsman points out that scientists expected this January to be cooler than preceding Januaries because of the ocean current cycles like El Niño and La Niña.

Despite an emerging La Nina bringing cooler conditions to the tropical Pacific, last month has been deemed the warmest January on record.