April 2025 Falls Just 0.07°C Short Of Breaking All-Time Heat Record

April 2025 was the second-hottest April on record. Global temperatures reached 14.96°C, just 0.07°C below April 2024’s all-time high. This marks the 21st month out of 22 that temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The planet continues to warm despite international climate agreements. Scientists warn that this trend isn’t an anomaly but part of a concerning pattern that’s becoming our new normal.

While global temperatures continue their concerning upward trend, April 2025 has been recorded as the second-warmest April in history. The global average surface air temperature reached 14.96 degrees Celsius, which is 0.60 degrees higher than the 1991-2020 average for April. This reading fell just 0.07 degrees short of the record set in April 2024, but was 0.07 degrees warmer than the third-warmest April recorded in 2016.

April 2025 measured 1.51 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, marking the 21st month in the last 22 months above the critical 1.5 degrees threshold outlined in the Paris Agreement. The 12-month period from May 2024 to April 2025 averaged 1.58 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Scientists warn that sustained temperatures above this threshold increase the risk of dangerous climate impacts. Climate scientists emphasize that a true breach of the Paris Agreement target requires sustained temperature elevation over 20 to 30 years, not just monthly spikes.

Earth continues to exceed the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C threshold, heightening the risk of severe climate consequences.

Ocean temperatures also remained exceptionally high. Sea surface temperatures in April 2025 averaged 20.89 degrees Celsius (excluding polar regions), making it the second hottest April for oceans on record, behind only April 2024. These high ocean temperatures persisted despite La Nina cooling influences in the Pacific.

Regional variations showed temperatures mainly above average across Europe in April 2025. The largest warm anomalies were recorded over eastern Europe, western Russia, Kazakhstan, and Norway. In the United States, Blue Hill Observatory recorded April 2025 as its seventh warmest, with an average maximum temperature of 59.6°F, which was 3.3 degrees above the 30-year normal. Areas of notable cooling included Southern South America and parts of eastern Canada, providing rare exceptions to the global warming trend.

Polar ice levels continued their long-term decline, with both Arctic and Antarctic sea ice extent remaining below historical averages. These changes impact global oceanic circulation patterns and contribute to feedback loops that accelerate warming.

The thorough analysis was compiled from billions of measurements worldwide from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service provided the global analysis, with multiple independent monitoring agencies confirming these warming trends.

The first quarter of 2025 was the second warmest on record globally, suggesting 2025 may track close behind 2024 as one of the hottest years recorded.