February is poised to become the warmest on record globally. Warm conditions have caused early blooms from Japan to Mexico and left European ski slopes bare.
Temperatures in Texas reached 38 degrees Celsius, while February is poised to set a new global average temperature record. Climate change and El Niño’s warming effect contribute to this trend.
This would mark the ninth straight monthly record, as per NOAA, which will finalize data by mid-March.
In the northern hemisphere, signs of an early spring are evident, NOAA’s Karin Gleason reports.
Eastern North Carolina and Tokyo witnessed premature blooms, while Mexico City’s Jacaranda trees bloomed early.
Europe’s ski resorts faced challenges, turning slopes into hiking and biking trails due to melting snow.
In the U.S., temperatures significantly exceeded norms, with Killeen, Texas, hitting a record high.
The heat contributes to glacier melting, rising sea levels, and extreme weather, says Anders Levermann of the Potsdam Institute.
High temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere often increase heat-related fatalities.
This month, heatwaves in Argentina, Peru, Brazil, and Chile led to devastating wildfires near Santiago, causing at least 133 deaths.
Gleason predicts El Nino will fade by mid-2024, possibly giving way to La Nina, potentially easing the heatwave by year’s end.
However, NOAA sees a 22% chance that 2024 might break 2023’s record as the hottest year, with a 99% probability of it being among the top five hottest years.