2025 ranks as third-warmest year on record despite cooling la niña event, wmo reports

Despite experiencing a cooling La Niña weather pattern, 2025 still emerged as the third-warmest year since global temperature records began in 1850, according to new data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The finding underscores the relentless warming trend driven by accumulating greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere.

The global average surface temperature for 2025 reached 1.44°C (2.59°F) above preindustrial levels, trailing only 2024 (the warmest year on record) and 2023 in second place. Remarkably, the past 11 years now represent the 11 hottest years in recorded history, painting a stark picture of accelerating climate change.

“The year 2025 started and ended with a cooling La Niña and yet it was still one of the warmest years on record globally because of the accumulation of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere,” explained WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. La Niña events typically lower ocean surface temperatures, making 2025’s ranking all the more significant.

The WMO’s analysis consolidated eight different datasets from agencies across North America, Europe, and Asia, each using distinct methodologies. Six datasets relied on direct measurements from weather stations, ships, and ocean buoys, while two utilized advanced modeling systems from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and Japan Meteorological Agency. The comprehensive approach provides a margin of uncertainty of ±0.13°C (±0.23°F), ensuring robust scientific accuracy in tracking our planet’s warming trajectory.