Brussels: Last month marked Europe's second-warmest March on record, as reported by the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The service also highlighted the second-highest global sea surface temperature for March.
According to Emirates News Agency, globally, March was the fourth-warmest since record-keeping began. The average temperature reached 13.94 degrees Celsius, which is 1.48 degrees above the estimated pre-industrial average for the month in 1850-1900, and 0.53 degrees above the 1991-2020 March average, as per the data.
The persistent trend of unusual temperatures continued, with Copernicus noting that the warmest March on record occurred in 2024. Europe experienced significant warming, with average temperatures reaching 5.88 degrees, which is 2.27 degrees above the 1991-2020 baseline. While much of Europe was drier than average, there were instances of heavy rainfall that resulted in flooding in regions such as the Mediterranean and Scandinavia.
The Arctic region recorded its lowest March sea ice extent, with levels 5.7 percent below average, marking the lowest ever observed for the month, as reported by Copernicus. Globally, sea surface temperatures averaged 20.97 degrees, the second-highest level ever recorded for March.