2025 Among Three Warmest Years Ever Recorded Despite La Niña: WMO

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Wednesday confirmed that 2025 ranked among the three warmest years on record, underscoring the continuing trend of exceptional global temperatures driven by climate change.

After analysing eight leading international climate datasets, the UN-backed body said the global average surface temperature in 2025 was about 1.44°C higher than the pre-industrial average of 1850–1900. While two datasets placed 2025 as the second warmest year in the 176-year global temperature record, the remaining six ranked it as the third warmest, highlighting strong consensus across scientific assessments.

Warm year despite cooling La Niña

Notably, 2025 recorded such high temperatures even though it was influenced by La Niña, a climate phenomenon typically associated with cooler global conditions. According to the WMO, the year was marginally cooler than the three-year average from 2023, partly due to La Niña’s cooling effect.

However, the organisation stressed that this temporary cooling did not reverse the long-term warming trend.

“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,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

Extreme weather events intensified

The WMO noted that elevated temperatures across land and oceans in 2025 contributed to a surge in extreme weather events worldwide. These included prolonged heatwaves, intense rainfall, floods, and deadly tropical cyclones, reinforcing the urgent need for robust early warning systems and climate preparedness measures.

Oceans continue to absorb heat

In a worrying sign for the global climate system, the WMO also highlighted that ocean temperatures last year were among the highest ever recorded. This reflects the long-term accumulation of heat absorbed by oceans, which play a critical role in regulating Earth’s climate.

Regionally, around 33 per cent of the global ocean area experienced conditions ranking among their top three warmest years since records began in 1958. Meanwhile, nearly 57 per cent of ocean areas fell within their top five warmest, including the tropical and South Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the North Indian Ocean, and the Southern Oceans.

Detailed climate report due in March

The WMO said it will release comprehensive findings on key climate indicators—such as greenhouse gas concentrations, surface temperatures, ocean heat content, and long-term trends—in its upcoming State of the Global Climate 2025 report, scheduled for publication in March.

The latest assessment adds to mounting scientific evidence that global warming is accelerating, even in years when natural climate patterns like La Niña would normally bring some relief.