March heat near historic highs, says climate monitor

March 2025 was the hottest March ever recorded in Europe and the second hottest globally. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) linked the record heat to human-caused climate change. Scientists say the planet is heating up faster than ever before.

Across Europe, surface air temperatures averaged 6.03°C in March. That was 2.41°C higher than the 1991–2020 average. It also beat the previous record from 2014 by 0.26°C. “March 2025 was the warmest March for Europe, highlighting once again how temperatures are continuing to break records,” said Dr. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director at C3S. “It was also a month with contrasting rainfall extremes across Europe with many areas experiencing their driest March on record and others their wettest March on record for at least the past 47 years.”

March 2025 breaks heat records

Most parts of Europe felt the heat. Eastern Europe and southwest Russia saw the biggest jumps in temperature. Only the Iberian Peninsula stayed slightly cooler than average. Outside Europe, the Arctic, the U.S., Mexico, parts of Asia, and Australia also warmed up. In contrast, parts of Canada and Russia stayed cooler than normal.

Globally, March 2025 was 1.60°C warmer than the pre-industrial average. That made it the second warmest March on record, just behind March 2024. It was also the 20th time in 21 months that global temperatures stayed above the 1.5°C limit. “That we’re still at 1.6°C above pre-industrial is indeed remarkable,” said Dr. Friederike Otto of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London. “We’re very firmly in the grip of human-caused climate change.”

The 12-month average from April 2024 to March 2025 showed the same trend. Temperatures stayed 0.71°C above the 1991–2020 average and 1.59°C above pre-industrial levels. Scientists say this makes it harder to stay under the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement. The world hasn’t crossed that line permanently, but it’s moving closer.

Warm oceans helped push temperatures up. In March 2025, sea surface temperatures between 60°S and 60°N averaged 20.96°C. That was just 0.12°C below the March 2024 record. Waters in the Mediterranean Sea and northeast Atlantic stayed unusually warm. These temperatures added more moisture to the air, which led to stronger storms and heavier rain.

Arctic sea ice also hit a record low. March 2025 saw the lowest Arctic sea ice for that month since satellite records began 47 years ago. Ice levels were 6 percent below average. “The month marked the lowest annual maximum ever recorded for the region,” Copernicus stated. In Antarctica, sea ice stayed 24 percent below the March average, especially outside the western Weddell Sea.

Rainfall patterns across Europe were uneven. Storms drenched the Iberian Peninsula, caused floods, and pushed rainfall above average in southern Europe. Norway, Iceland, and northwest Russia also saw more rain than usual. At the same time, the UK, Ireland, central Europe, the Balkans, and Türkiye stayed dry. “These kinds of extremes—record heat and unpredictable rainfall—are exactly what climate scientists have warned about,” said Dr. Burgess.

Other parts of the world faced extreme weather too. In Central Asia, a heatwave hit hard. In Argentina, heavy rain caused floods that killed 16 people. Scientists linked both events to rising global temperatures and changing weather patterns.

Many experts thought 2024 would cool down after the El Niño event peaked. El Niño usually causes short-term warming by moving heat from the Pacific Ocean into the air. But even as El Niño faded and La Niña started to build, global temperatures stayed high. “This has prompted new questions about whether other feedback mechanisms are at play,” said Dr. Otto. Scientists are now studying whether other changes—like ocean heat buildup or fewer air pollution particles—are making things worse.

Copernicus uses the ERA5 dataset to track weather trends. It pulls data from satellites, planes, ships, and ground stations. The record goes back to 1940, but scientists also study tree rings, ice cores, and corals to understand longer-term climate shifts. Many researchers now believe today’s climate may be the hottest Earth has seen in at least 125,000 years.

Experts say every small rise in global temperature increases the risk of extreme weather. Hotter air adds more energy to the climate system. That means stronger heatwaves, more wildfires, longer droughts, and heavier rain. These records don’t just set new numbers—they affect real lives.

Support us to keep independent environmental journalism alive in India.

Keep Reading

California Fires Live updates: destructive wildfires in history

Hollywood Hills burning video is fake and AI generated

Devastating wildfire in California: wind, dry conditions to blame?

Los Angeles Cracks Under Water Pressure

From tourist paradise to waste wasteland: Sindh River Cry for help

Follow Ground Report on X, Instagram and Facebook for environmental and underreported stories from the margins. Give us feedback on our email id [email protected]. 

Don't forget to Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Join our community on WhatsApp, and Follow our YouTube Channel