Temperature records and melting ice: Copernicus' alarming climate report for February 2025

The Copernicus Climate Data Service (C3S) at the European Centre for Medium-Term Forecasts has presented new data showing that February 2025 was the third warmest February on record. The global average temperature was 13.36°C, 0.63°C above the 1991-2020 norm. The temperature was 1.59°C above the pre-industrial level of 1850-1900. This continues a worrying series of months where the 1.5°C temperature threshold set by the Paris Agreement is regularly exceeded: 19 of the last 20 months have been recorded above this limit.

The winter of 2024-2025 was the second warmest winter on record, behind only the winter of 2023-2024. The average sea and ocean surface temperature in February reached 20.88°C, the second highest on record, only slightly below last year's record high.

At the same time, the sea ice situation is of growing concern. The sea ice extent in the Arctic in February was 8% below average, making this the third consecutive month with historically low values for the season. In the Antarctic, the results are even more dramatic: sea ice extent was 26% below average, the fourth lowest level for February in the history of satellite observations. It is expected that the annual minimum reached at the end of the month may become the second lowest ever.

In Europe, February 2025 was 0.40°C warmer than normal, but not among the top ten warmest Februarys on record. The most significant warming was observed in Fennoscandia, Iceland and the Alps, while the eastern part of the continent experienced colder temperatures. Nevertheless, the winter season in Europe as a whole was the second warmest on record, exceeding the norm by 1.46°C.

The hydrological situation remains uneven. Most of Europe experienced precipitation deficits and low soil moisture levels, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, south-eastern Spain and Turkey. The exceptions were the regions of Iceland, Ireland, southern Great Britain, southern France and central Italy, which were wetter than normal.

In other parts of the world, the climate picture also remains unstable. Droughts were observed in North America, Australia, South-East Asia and South America, especially in Argentina, where forest fires broke out. In contrast, the eastern and western United States, Alaska, the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia and the South Pacific faced heavy rains and cyclones causing localised damage.

According to Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of Copernicus, February confirmed the continuing trend of climate warming: "One of the most obvious effects of warming is the decline in sea ice to record levels. This is a wake-up call for the entire planet."

February 2025 was further proof that climate change is no longer the future, but our present, with real consequences being felt around the world.