Global temperatures stayed unusually high in March, continuing a streak of record heat that began in mid-2023. According to Europe’s climate agency, this heat is stronger than scientists expected.

Europe Records Hottest March Ever

Europe experienced its warmest March in recorded history. The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that temperatures in Europe surpassed the previous record by a large margin. At the same time, extreme weather patterns caused both heavy rainfall and severe drought in different parts of the continent.

Samantha Burgess, a deputy director at Copernicus, highlighted this unusual variation:
“It was a month with contrasting rainfall extremes.”
She added, “Some parts of Europe experienced their driest March on record and others their wettest” in over 50 years.

Second-Hottest March Worldwide

Meanwhile, on a global scale, March 2024 was the second-hottest March ever recorded in the Copernicus dataset. This keeps the nearly unbroken heat streak alive—one that started in July 2023. Since then, nearly every month has been at least 1.5°C (2.7°F) warmer than temperatures before the industrial era began.

March alone was 1.6°C (2.9°F) hotter than pre-industrial levels. This rise is so extreme that scientists are still working to fully understand what’s driving it.  Friederike Otto from the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London said, “That we’re still at 1.6C above preindustrial is indeed remarkable.” She continued, “We’re very firmly in the grip of human-caused climate change.”

Extreme Weather Is Becoming the Norm

Experts warn that every small increase in global temperature adds to the strength and frequency of extreme weather. That includes more intense heatwaves, floods, and droughts.

However, climate change involves more than just rising temperatures. The heat trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans causes chain reactions. For example, warmer oceans lead to more evaporation, which puts more moisture into the air. This can lead to heavier rains, stronger cyclones, and major shifts in rainfall patterns.

In fact, in other parts of the world this March, a severe heatwave in Central Asia was linked to climate change. In Argentina, intense rain killed at least 16 people, with scientists saying global warming worsened the conditions.

2023 and 2024: The Hottest Years Yet

This heat trend pushed 2023 to become the hottest year ever recorded. Now, 2024 may follow closely behind. Last year was also the first time in history that the Earth’s average temperature for an entire calendar year went beyond 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This threshold was set in the Paris Agreement as a safer upper limit.

While scientists believe the 1.5°C mark was only temporarily passed, they warn the goal is becoming harder to achieve.

El Niño Fades, But Heat Remains

Scientists had hoped that global temperatures would drop after the El Niño weather pattern peaked in early 2024. Usually, this cycle shifts to a cooler La Niña phase, bringing some relief. But that has not happened yet. Temperatures remain stubbornly high, and scientists are now debating what other factors may be pushing global warming further than expected.

Decades of Climate Data Support Findings

The Copernicus Climate Change Service uses billions of data points from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations. Their climate records date back to 1940. However, scientists also rely on natural evidence such as tree rings, coral, and ice cores to study the climate much further into the past. Many now believe this current period could be the Earth’s warmest in 125,000 years.