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2024 was one of the wettest years on record, witnessing record-breaking extreme precipitation events across the globe, several of which were compound events. Extreme rainfalls were unprecedented in arid regions and parts of the Global South, with severe monsoon rains and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones causing severe casualties and economic losses.
Sea ice extent remained anomalously low in 2024. Annual mean Antarctic and Arctic sea ice extent was 10.38 million km2 and 10.42 million km2, respectively, the 2nd and 7th lowest of the satellite record.
Global sea level rose 0.59 cm in 2024 relative to 2023, reaching a total increase of 10.5 cm over the 31-year satellite record of sea level. Regionally, over 40% of the ocean reached its highest annual sea level value in 2024.
Global CO2 emissions in 2024 increased 0.9% on the previous year, totalling 36.3 Gt CO2. These ongoing emissions further deplete remaining carbon budgets, with some estimates suggesting the 1.5 °C budget will be surpassed within the next 5 years — and may have been already.
Wildfire burned area was 367 Mha in 2024, ranked 17th since 2001. An estimated 1,965 Tg C was released from these fires, 41% of which came from the Americas, far exceeding their usual 25% contribution.
2024 witnessed record-high global vegetation greenness, far outpacing the previous high set in 2020. A total of 67.7% of vegetated land surfaces experienced greening, notably in Eurasian and tropical grasslands, and global croplands.
2024 global mean lake surface water temperature (LSWT) was 0.3 °C greater than the 2001–2023 average, the fourth highest on record. Particularly strong positive — and record-breaking — LSWT anomalies occurred throughout Canada and north-eastern Europe, in some cases exceeding 2 °C.
Global terrestrial water storage (TWS) anomalies continue to decrease, reaching a record low of –7,404 km3 in 2024, a reduction of 796 km3 from 2023. TWS gains in Africa, Australia, Europe, and central and western Antarctica were offset by substantial losses in northwestern Canada, South America, southern Africa and Greenland.
2024 shattered temperature records, surpassing 2023’s historic highs to become the warmest year ever recorded. Extreme heatwaves hit West Africa in February, South America and Eastern Europe in March, Southeast Asia in April, and Mexico in June.
2024 saw multiple high-impact compound events. Record-breaking global temperatures combined with regional weather variability to create compound floods, spatially compounding droughts and heatwaves, and hazard sequences with often devastating impacts.
Global full-depth ocean heat content (OHC) gain since 1960 reached a record 452 ± 77 ZJ in 2024. OHC was 15 ± 9 ZJ higher than in 2023, primarily associated with warming in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Global greening continued into 2023, reaching near-record values that were dominated by regional enhancement in the mid-western USA, Europe, northern Australia and parts of equatorial Africa. In contrast, climatic events contributed to browning signals in Russia, Canada, Mexico and tropical drylands.
Global CO2 emissions for 2023 increased by only 0.1% relative to 2022 (following increases of 5.4% and 1.9% in 2021 and 2022, respectively), reaching 35.8 Gt CO2. These 2023 emissions consumed 10–66.7% of the remaining carbon budget to limit warming to 1.5°C, suggesting permissible emissions could be depleted within 0.5–6 years (67% likelihood).
Wildfires burned 384 Mha of land in 2023, the highest since 2017 but 5% lower than the 2001–2022 average. These fires emitted an estimated 2,524 Tg C, 30% of which came from Canada’s record fire season.
Antarctic sea ice extent was the lowest on record in 2023, with an annual mean of 9.81 million km2, beating the previous minimum of 2022. Arctic sea ice extent was also low, with an annual mean of 10.49 million km2, but did not break any records.
Global terrestrial water storage (TWS) anomalies reached a record low of −6697 km3 in 2023, decreasing 759 km3 from 2022. These reductions reflect widespread droughts across North and South America, Europe and Asia, and ongoing TWS losses from glacial melt and groundwater use for irrigation.
Multiple relentless heatwaves occurred in 2023, with much of the world experiencing at least 20 more heatwave days than the 1991–2020 average. Prominent and record-breaking events included exceptional wintertime and spring heat in South America, large heatwaves over Europe, Africa and Asia, and a prolonged event over south-eastern USA and Central America.
In 2023, national and international climate policy advanced in many areas but also faced substantial domestic hurdles in others. Countries agreed on new global initiatives and many major emitters expanded national climate policies. However, others rolled back existing policies and continued to support fossil fuels, slowing down global progress.
In 2023, global full-depth ocean heat content (OHC) reached a record increase of 464 ± 55 ZJ since 1960, with strong heat gain observed in the Southern and Atlantic Oceans. OHC was 16 ± 10 ZJ higher than in 2022, continuing the long-term increasing trend that started in 1960.
2023 saw a multitude of extreme precipitation events across the globe, causing flash flooding, countless fatalities and huge economic losses. Fuelled by a combination of a strong El Niño, record ocean warmth and anthropogenic warming, these events highlight the ongoing risks posed by extreme precipitation in a warming climate.
