IT'S A MINDSET, NOT A ZIPCODE.

This Climate Matters analysis was made possible by open access data from NOAA/NCEI and NASA.

Off-the-Charts Heat Continues

It’s official: 2024 was the hottest year on record — both globally and for the U.S.

Global carbon emissions from burning coal, oil, and methane gas climbed to their highest levels ever in 2024. This heat-trapping pollution continued to steer Earth’s average temperature into unprecedented territory in 2024 — surpassing the record-breaking benchmark of hottest year on record in 2023.

According to the latest combined data from NOAA and NASA, the global surface temperature in 2024 ranked highest in the 145-year record at 1.54°C (2.77°F) above the early industrial (1881-1910) baseline average. The top eleven hottest years on record for the planet have occurred in the last eleven years, now including last year.

For the first time ever, the annual global average temperature anomaly exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels — the key long-term threshold set by the Paris Climate Accord in 2015. The limit set by the Paris Climate Accord, however, refers to a 30-year average of global temperatures, meaning that the occurrence of 1.5°C of warming for a single year does not equate to exceeding the Paris threshold.

Report from climate central

Hottest year for the U.S. and record annual heat for U.S. cities

The contiguous U.S. had its hottest year on record in 2024 with an annual average temperature 3.5°F above the 20th century average.The eight warmest years for the U.S. have all occurred since 2012. While 2024 was the warmest year for the contiguous U.S. as a whole, it was also the hottest year on record for 76 (31%) of the 243 U.S. cities analyzed by Climate Central. Some of the cities that experienced a record-warm 2024 include: Atlanta, Ga.; Chicago, Ill.; Detroit, Mich.; Houston, Texas; Minneapolis, Minn.; Nashville, Tenn.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Raleigh, N.C.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Washington D.C. For a vast majority (75% or 180) of analyzed cities, 2024 ranked among their top five hottest years on record, including: Cincinnati, Ohio; Denver, Colo.; New York City, N.Y.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Portland, Ore.; and St. Louis, Mo.While 2024 saw a wide range of precipitation trends across 244 U.S. cities analyzed by Climate Central, the year deviated significantly from historical norms. More than half of the cities (121) experienced above-average precipitation, with a notable 9% of these locations receiving 'much above normal' (>125%) rainfall.

A costly year for U.S. billion-dollar disasters

The United States was impacted by 27 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2024, exacting an extraordinary human and economic toll. These events included 17 severe storm events, five tropical cyclones, two winter storms, one wildfire event, one flood, and one drought. These disasters resulted in an estimated 568 deaths and $182.7 billion in damages.The number of billion-dollar disasters in 2024, 2023 (28 events), 2022 (18 events), and 2021 (20 events) were all far above the long-term average of around nine billion-dollar disasters per year since 1980. All five of the landfalling hurricanes that impacted the U.S. this year caused billions of dollars in damage — with rapidly-intensifying Hurricanes Milton and Helene causing a total of over $113 billion combined. Hurricane Helene killed at least 219 people, the second-highest number of tropical cyclone-related fatalities in the continental U.S., only after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. However, this figure may not mark the end of the storm’s death toll. A recent study found that the average tropical cyclone generates up to 11,000 excess deaths for a period of 15 years following the event.

Extreme heat in 2024 driven by human-caused climate change

This year’s record-breaking warmth fueled unrelenting heat waves, drought, wildfires, severe storms, hurricanes, and floods that claimed the lives of thousands people worldwide and displaced millions from their homes.Analysis conducted by World Weather Attribution (WWA) and Climate Central found that:

Globally, climate change added on average 41 more days of dangerous heat in 2024. This disproportionately impacted small island nations and developing countries, whose residents are most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change despite contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change was a significant contributor to nearly all of the 26 extreme weather events evaluated in 2024; collectively at least 3,700 people were killed and millions more were displaced by these events.
From the Himalayas to the Southern Appalachians, the past year witnessed a global surge in devastating floods. WWA analyzed 16 of these flood events and found that all but one were significantly intensified by climate change-amplified rainfall.

The lingering shadow of 2024’s carbon emissions

As we enter 2025, the repercussions of carbon pollution emitted worldwide will continue to reverberate. Carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, persists in the atmosphere for centuries, trapping heat and further intensifying climate warming. The emissions released last year, in combination with cumulative historical emissions, commit the planet to a future of more frequent and intense extreme weather events that will disproportionately burden younger generations.However, we can still avoid the most catastrophic consequences by cutting carbon pollution now. Every tenth of a degree of climate warming averted contributes to a safer environment for the people and places we love — now and for generations to come.
We know the solutions — including transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, enhancing energy efficiency, and developing sustainable transportation systems — but their rapid and equitable implementation is critical.
“This is climate breakdown — in real time,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his New Year message. Echoing themes of the United Nations’ Emissions Gap Report 2024, Guterres added, "We must exit this road to ruin — and we have no time to lose. In 2025, countries must put the world on a safer path by dramatically slashing emissions, and supporting the transition to a renewable future.”

Climate News Weekly

Rising Seas and Land-Based Salt Pollution Pose Dual Threats for Drinking Water

Inside Climate News - March 18, 2025 As seawater creeps further into coastlines, salt threatens to pollute the freshwater reserves that people depend on. But this brine isn’t just coming from the ocean: New research shows freshwater ecosystems are facing widespread dual threats of salt contamination from the sea and land, made worse by climate change. READ MORE

India has six of the world's 10 most polluted cities, report shows

NBC News - March 11, 2025 Six of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India, while California has the worst air pollution in North America, a new report shows. Ten of the 15 most polluted cities in North America, including Ontario and Bloomington, are in California as the United States reclaimed the top spot as the most polluted country in the region in 2024, the report said. READ MORE

America’s butterflies are disappearing at a ‘catastrophic’ rate

Associated Press - March 7, 2025 America’s butterflies are disappearing because of insecticides, climate change and habitat loss, with the number of the winged beauties down 22% since 2000, a new study finds.

The first countrywide systematic analysis of butterfly abundance found that the number of butterflies in the Lower 48 states has been falling on average 1.3% a year since the turn of the century, with 114 species showing significant declines and only nine increasing, according to a study in Thursday’s journal Science. READ MORE

Trump has fired scientists who monitor the ocean. It comes at the worst possible time

CNN - March 17, 2025 The Trump administration has laid off over 1,000 employees from NOAA, the U.S. climate and weather agency, including experts who monitor ocean changes and protect marine life. The cuts come at a critical time, as ocean temperatures have been breaking records, fueling extreme weather and ecosystem collapses. READ MORE

climatehaven.com

IT'S A MINDSET, NOT A ZIPCODE.

IT'S A MINDSET, NOT A ZIPCODE.

Off-the-Charts Heat Continues

It’s official: 2024 was the hottest year on record — both globally and for the U.S.

Climate News Weekly

Rising Seas and Land-Based Salt Pollution Pose Dual Threats for Drinking Water

India has six of the world's 10 most polluted cities, report shows

America’s butterflies are disappearing at a ‘catastrophic’ rate

Trump has fired scientists who monitor the ocean. It comes at the worst possible time

Contact Us

www.ClimateHaven.com

Drop us a line!

IT'S A MINDSET, NOT A ZIPCODE.

IT'S A MINDSET, NOT A ZIPCODE.

Off-the-Charts Heat Continues

It’s official: 2024 was the hottest year on record — both globally and for the U.S.

Climate News Weekly

Rising Seas and Land-Based Salt Pollution Pose Dual Threats for Drinking Water

India has six of the world's 10 most polluted cities, report shows

America’s butterflies are disappearing at a ‘catastrophic’ rate

Trump has fired scientists who monitor the ocean. It comes at the worst possible time

Contact Us

www.ClimateHaven.com

Drop us a line!

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