2024 will be the hottest year on record in Luxembourg

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), October 2024 was the second warmest October on record, with a global average temperature of 15.25°C, 0.80°C above the average for the period 1991-2020. Temperatures were 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels. C3S confirms that temperatures were 0.71°C above average from January to October 2024, and it is almost certain that 2024 will be the warmest year on record, exceeding the 1.5°C mark above pre-industrial levels.

In Europe, temperatures in October 2024 were 1.23°C above average, making it the fifth warmest October on record, with the most anomalously high temperatures observed in northern Canada, central and western US states, northern Tibet, Japan and Australia. Sea surface temperatures were the second highest on record for October, indicating unusually high temperatures across oceanic regions, even as La Niña conditions showed signs of returning.

Luxembourg is also experiencing the effects of warming: 2024 is likely to break the record of 2023, becoming the warmest year on record at the Findel weather station. In the first ten months, the average temperature was around 11.9°C - a degree higher than in 2023. Apart from April, June and July, when temperatures were slightly below normal, almost all months showed above the average temperatures recorded since 1947. February was particularly warm, with a record average temperature of 6.5°C compared to the usual 2.2°C, as well as March (+2.2°C above normal), August and October (+1.1°C and +1.3°C, respectively).

Copernicus Climate Change Service

Sea ice is also receiving considerable attention: its area in the Arctic was the fourth lowest in October, 19 per cent below average. In Antarctica, sea ice extent in October reached the second lowest level, highlighting the massive changes in the polar regions against the backdrop of the climate crisis.

Precipitation also showed anomalies, with the Iberian Peninsula, France and northern Italy experiencing above-average rainfall levels, which has already led to deadly flooding in Valencia with more than 200 deaths. Meanwhile, eastern Europe, including western Russia and Greece, suffered from below-average rainfall levels, exacerbating drought conditions in these regions.

We should not forget that abnormal heat and the tendency of constantly rising temperatures are a serious threat not only to glaciers and plants, but also to people themselves. every year. Of course, overheating is the cause in fewer cases, but the increased strain on the body has a detrimental effect on chronic diseases or hidden pathologies that often claim lives.