April of 2024 has secured its place in the annals of climatic history as Earth’s warmest April since records began in 1850.
This is part of a concerning pattern that has seen the planet experience an unprecedented 11th consecutive month of record warmth, according to the NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
The extent of this heat was remarkable, affecting 14.7% of the Earth’s surface, an unusually widespread occurrence. The only month surpassing this coverage was September 2023, with 15.0% of the world experiencing record heat.
The consensus among global weather agencies, including the Japan Meteorological Agency, Berkeley Earth, and NASA, affirmed April’s record-breaking status.
NASA’s analysis indicated a temperature anomaly of 1.55 degrees Celsius (2.79 °F) above the 1880-1899 baseline, considered as the closest approximation to preindustrial temperatures. This surpassed the previous April record set in 2020 by an impressive margin of 0.19 degrees Celsius (0.34 °F).
April 2024 ranked as the ninth most anomalously warm month in NASA’s dataset, with the all-time record set in September 2023 at +1.71 degrees Celsius above the 1880-1899 period.
The European Copernicus Climate Change Service similarly confirmed April 2024 as the hottest April ever recorded.
Moreover, they highlighted that the global average temperature over the preceding 12 months (from May 2023 to April 2024) reached unprecedented levels, surpassing any other 12-month period on record. This period registered a temperature anomaly of 1.61 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial average of 1850-1900.
NOAA reported that in 2024, land areas experienced their hottest April on record, while global ocean temperatures continued their streak as the warmest on record for the 13th consecutive month.
The unprecedented warmth in the oceans has triggered a widespread coral bleaching event on a global scale.
April 2024 marked the hottest on record for South America, ranking as the second-warmest for Europe and North America, the third-warmest for Asia, and the fourth-warmest for Africa. Oceania experienced its 54th-warmest April.
Within the contiguous U.S., it was the 12th-warmest April, with five states witnessing a top-10 warmest April; no states reported below-average temperatures.
Meanwhile, snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere, notably over Canada, reached its lowest April extent on record, contributing to an early onset of severe fire season in Canada. NOAA’s 175-year record indicates that the global surface temperature for January to April 2024 ranked as the warmest.
Statistical analysis by NOAA/NCEI suggests a 61% probability that 2024 will emerge as the warmest year on record, with a certainty of 100% for it to land in the top five.
It’s essential to note that this analysis solely relies on statistical comparisons with historical data and does not consider the ongoing transition toward La Niña, which is expected to diminish the likelihood of a record-warm 2024 as the year progresses.
Relevant articles:
– consecutive warmest month on record » Yale Climate Connections, Yale Climate Connections
– April 2024 Global Climate Report, National Centers for Environmental Information (.gov)
– April 2024 – 11th consecutive warmest month globally, Climate Copernicus
– April Was 11th Straight Month of Record Global Temperatures, thinc.blog