Global temperature records smashed despite recent cold snap

We just lived through a full week of the world’s warmest temperatures ever observed during the middle of January

Brutally cold temperatures blanketing North America over the past week have made it seem like the whole world is frozen in place.

Despite our own polar plunge, the world at large just broke a whole week’s worth of temperature records for the middle of January—a remarkable feat that speaks to the level of anomalous warmth surrounding the globe despite North America’s recent chill.

DON’T MISS: Great Lakes ice coverage skyrockets amid cold snap

Frigid temperatures descended on North America

Just how cold did it get here at home?

Polar Vortex Impacts Canada

The onset of this latest spell of cold weather saw wind chill values in Northern Canada plunge into the -50s for several days on end—cold enough to freeze exposed skin in a matter of minutes. Extreme cold warnings even reached southern Ontario during the worst conditions.

Bitterly cold temperatures didn’t stop at the border. Subfreezing temperatures dove all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, allowing a historic winter storm to roar across the northern Gulf Coast.

Florida likely broke its all-time snowfall record with more than 20 cm of snow in the northwest corner of the state. Lafayette, La., saw its coldest-ever temperature of -15.5°C (4°F) the following morning.

Content continues below

Another global temperature record shattered

North America certainly isn’t the centre of the world, and our cold snap didn’t do much to prevent the planet as a whole from seeing record warmth this past week.

Global Record Heat January 2025

Every day between Jan. 14 and Jan. 22 saw a record-warm global temperature for that date. This recent spell of worldwide warmth peaked with a global average temperature of 13.30°C on Sunday, Jan. 19, which is 0.88°C warmer than normal for this time of year. This year’s temperatures broke records set just last year.

This latest stretch of global warmth was driven by extremely warm temperatures in places like the Arctic—including Alaska and Siberia—as well as portions of eastern Asia, northeastern Africa, and a large swath of Antarctica.

Global Heat Anomalies January 2025

The ridge of high pressure aloft keeping Alaska unusually toasty was partially responsible for triggering the pattern that helped send frigid air plunging south over Canada and the contiguous U.S.

How unusual is the warmth over Alaska in recent weeks? The daytime high temperature in Fairbanks on Thursday, Jan. 23, was -1.7°C—significantly higher than the city’s normal high of -17.2°C for this point in January.

Temperature trends in line with a warming world

This latest spell of unprecedented warmth around the world is in line with rising temperatures we’ve seen in recent years.

Content continues below
Yearly Air Temperature Anomaly 1960s through 2024

Last year came in as the warmest year ever observed, with global temperature anomalies exceeding 1.5°C for the first time on record.

“Much of the world experienced warmer than average temperatures in 2024, with many regions experiencing record heat throughout the year,” wrote Scott Sutherland, a meteorologist and science writer for The Weather Network.

WATCH: 2024 was the warmest year on record, according to NASA