- March was the hottest on record, 0.10°C above the previous high set in March 2016
- This was the 10th month in a row that has been the warmest on record for the respective month of the year
- Scientists call for rapid reduction in the use of greenhouse gases
March 2024 was the hottest globally since records began – and was the tenth month in a row that is the warmest on record for the respective month of the year. Climate scientists have reiterated their warning about the significance of this for the global climate.
The average surface air temperature in March was 14.14°C, 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 average for March and 0.10°C above the previous high set in March 2016.
The month was 1.68°C warmer than an estimate of the March average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period.
The global-average temperature for the past 12 months (April 2023 – March 2024) is the highest on record, at 0.70°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.58°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.
The average European temperature for March 2024 was 2.12°C above the 1991-2020 average for March, making the month the second warmest March on record for the continent. Outside Europe, temperatures were most above average over eastern North America, Greenland, eastern Russia, Central America, parts of South America, many parts of Africa, southern Australia, and parts of Antarctica.
in March 2024, it was wetter than average in most of western Europe, with storms causing heavy rainfall over the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. It was also wetter than average in regions of Scandinavia and north-western Russia.
Likewise, it was wetter than average in regions of North America, across Central Asia, Japan, much of the Arabian Peninsula, Madagascar, and parts of South America. Australia experienced an exceptionally wet month.
However, other parts of Europe were predominantly drier than average, with pronounced below-average precipitation over north-western Norway.
Similarly, drier-than-average conditions were recorded in parts of central USA, western Canada and northern Mexico, regions of Central Asia and China and in south-eastern Australia, most of southern Africa and South America.
