February 2025 climate report: Record heat and shrinking sea ice
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reports that global sea ice reached a record low in February 2025, continuing a trend of shrinking ice coverage, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent. Data is based on ERA5 reanalysis, using billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations.
Global sea ice extent hit an all-time minimum in early February, staying below the previous record set in February 2023. Arctic sea ice reached its lowest February extent, 8% below average, marking the third consecutive record-low month. Antarctic sea ice was 26% below average, the fourth-lowest February extent on record. The daily sea ice extent may have reached its annual minimum near the end of the month, which, if confirmed, would be the second-lowest ever in the satellite record.
February 2025 was the third warmest February on record, with an average surface air temperature of 13.36°C, 0.63°C above the 1991-2020 average, and 1.59°C above pre-industrial levels. This continues a trend in which 19 of the last 20 months exceeded the 1.5°C threshold. The boreal winter (December 2024 - February 2025) was the second warmest on record, slightly cooler than winter 2024. The 12-month period from March 2024 to February 2025 was 0.71°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.59°C above pre-industrial levels.
Samantha Burgess, ECMWF Strategic Lead for Climate, stated: “February 2025 continues the streak of record or near-record temperatures observed throughout the last two years. One of the consequences of a warmer world is melting sea ice, and the record or near-record low sea ice cover at both poles has pushed global sea ice cover to an all-time minimum.”
In Europe, February temperatures were 0.40°C above average, with northern Fennoscandia, Iceland, and the Alps experiencing the highest anomalies, while Eastern Europe saw below-average temperatures. Outside Europe, the Arctic, northern Chile, Argentina, Western Australia, and the southwestern U.S. were warmer than average, whereas parts of the U.S., Canada, and eastern Asia recorded colder temperatures. The European winter (Dec 2024 - Feb 2025) was the joint second warmest on record, 1.46°C above average.
The average sea surface temperature (SST) in February 2025 was 20.88°C, the second highest ever recorded for the month, just 0.18°C below the February 2024 record. SSTs remained unusually high in many ocean basins, with record-breaking temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea.
In terms of hydrology and weather patterns, Europe experienced drier-than-average conditions in central and eastern regions, while Iceland, Ireland, southern UK, and parts of Italy saw above-average rainfall. Globally, drier-than-average conditions were recorded in most of North America, central Asia, eastern China, Australia, and South America, with wildfires in Argentina. Wetter-than-average conditions were seen in eastern and western USA, Alaska, parts of Canada, the Arabian Peninsula, and southeastern Africa, while the South Pacific saw multiple cyclones, causing significant damage.
This report highlights the ongoing effects of climate change, with record-breaking temperatures and shrinking sea ice. Scientists warn that these trends may continue unless significant action is taken.
Earlier, it was reported that Indonesia’s only glaciers could disappear by next year due to global warming, a phenomenon that may impact the island’s flora, fauna, and indigenous species.