State of the Climate 2024: Record heat and rising seas

In 2024, the world’s climate continued to break records, with greenhouse gas concentrations and global temperatures reaching unprecedented highs.

The oceans absorbed more heat than ever before. Sea levels climbed to their highest point on record, and glaciers shed more ice than in any prior year.

This year’s State of the Climate report, published by the American Meteorological Society, brought together 589 scientists from 58 countries.

The experts used data from satellites, weather stations, ocean buoys, and ice-core records. For decades, this report has been the go-to snapshot of Earth’s climate – tracking key changes and extreme events across the globe.

Greenhouse gases hit highest levels

Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide all set new records in 2024. Average CO2 levels reached 422.8 parts per million, up 52% from pre-industrial times. The jump from 2023 matched the fastest increase seen in the past 60 years.

Fossil fuel burning and agriculture remain the biggest sources. Rising greenhouse gases are locking in more heat, driving stronger feedback loops like higher water vapor in the atmosphere and changes in how land stores carbon.

Heat breaks climate records again

For the second year in a row, the planet broke its surface temperature record. Readings were up to 0.72°C (1.30°F) above the 1991-2020 average.

A strong El Niño that began in mid-2023 and ended in spring 2024 helped push temperatures higher.

Heat extremes weren’t limited to the tropics. Europe, Asia, and South America saw their hottest years yet. Heatwaves lasted longer and struck at times of year when they used to be rare.

Extreme rain and drought

Warmer air holds more moisture, and in 2024 it showed. The atmosphere carried record levels of water vapor. One in five areas on Earth hit all-time highs, double the share from 2023.

Heavy rain events set records too. Dubai saw 250 mm in one day – three times its yearly average. While some places were drowning, others faced persistent droughts and extreme heat.

Ocean heating breaks climate records

From January through June, sea surface temperatures refused to budge from record-breaking highs.

The global average edged past the 2023 mark by 0.06°C (0.11°F) – a small number on paper, but significant in climate terms. A potent El Niño, layered on top of decades of steady warming, drove the surge.

Vast stretches of ocean endured marine heatwaves – bleaching coral reefs, pushing fish into new territories, and unsettling entire food webs. On average, the seas sweltered through 100 heatwave days in 2024, while cold spells were rare – just nine days across the year.

Sea levels keep rising

Oceans absorb over 90% of excess heat from greenhouse gases. In 2024, heat content down to 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) reached its highest ever.

Global sea level hit a new high for the 13th year straight – over 10 centimeters (3.94 inches) above 1993 levels.

Warmer water expands, and melting ice from Greenland, Antarctica, and glaciers adds more volume. The result is higher flood risks and saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies.

Record heat at the poles

The Arctic experienced its second-warmest year on record, with autumn setting an all-time high for temperatures.

In August, parts of the North American Arctic endured record high temperatures, and Norway topped 30°C (86°F) in September for the first time that late in the year.

Antarctica’s sea ice stayed far below average. Minimum and maximum extents were the second lowest ever recorded, continuing a run of poor ice years since 2016.

For the second consecutive year, all 58 reference glaciers lost ice in 2024. It was the worst year for glacier loss in the 55-year record. Venezuela lost its last glacier. In Colombia, the Conejeras Glacier vanished completely.

These losses threaten water supplies for farming, hydropower, and drinking water in many mountain regions.

Storms bring destruction

There were 82 named tropical cyclones in 2024, fewer than average but still deadly. Hurricane Helene flooded parts of the U.S., killing more than 200 people.

Hurricane Milton hit Florida less than two weeks later – setting a state record for the shortest gap between two major hurricanes.

In Asia, Super Typhoon Yagi tore through China and Vietnam, leaving more than 800 dead. Many storms intensified unusually quickly, fueled by warmer ocean waters.

Our changing climate reality

“The State of the Climate report is an annual scientific landmark,” said American Meteorological Society President David J. Stensrud.

“It is a truly global effort, in which hundreds of researchers from universities, government agencies, and more come together to provide a careful, rigorously peer-reviewed report on our planet’s climate.”

“High-quality observations and findings from all over the world are incorporated, underscoring the vital importance of observations to monitor, and climate science to understand, our environment.”

According to Stensrud, the results affirm the reality of our changing climate, as global temperatures continue to reach record highs.

The research is published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

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