European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts strategic lead for climate Samantha Burgess was surprised by another record-breaking month of average world conditions.

January marked the eighteenth month of the last nineteen to record global-average surface temperatures exceeding 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Some parts of Australia have been hit with heatwaves, while others are being flooded. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Under the Paris Agreement, world leaders pledged to try to prevent global temperatures rising by more than 1.5C but the threshold is based on long-term multi-decadal warming and not short-term monthly temperatures.

Tropical cyclones brought heavy rainfall to northern parts of Australia early in the year, while large parts of the country during early and late 2024 and into 2025 sweltered through severe heatwaves.

Australia has been battered by a range of extreme weather events over the past few weeks, including severe flooding in north Queensland, bushfires in regional Victoria and heatwaves across parts of the country.