August 2024 Global Climate Report

Temperature

In January 2024, the NOAA Global Surface Temperature (NOAAGlobalTemp) dataset version 6.0.0 replaced version 5.1.0. This new version incorporates an artificial neural network (ANN) method to improve the spatial interporlation of monthly land surface air temperatures. The period of record (1850-present) and complete global coverage remain the same as in the previous version of NOAAGlobalTemp. While anomalies and ranks might differ slightly from what was reported previously, the main conclusions regarding global climate change are very similar to the previous version. Please see our Commonly Asked Questions Document and web story for additional information.

NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information calculates the global temperature anomaly every month based on preliminary data generated from authoritative datasets of temperature observations from around the globe. The major dataset, NOAAGlobalTemp version 6.0.0, updated in 2024, uses comprehensive data collections of increased global area coverage over both land and ocean surfaces. NOAAGlobalTempv6.0.0 is a reconstructed dataset, meaning that the entire period of record is recalculated each month with new data. Based on those new calculations, the new historical data can bring about updates to previously reported values. These factors, together, mean that calculations from the past may be superseded by the most recent data and can affect the numbers reported in the monthly climate reports. The most current reconstruction analysis is always considered the most representative and precise of the climate system, and it is publicly available through Climate at a Glance.

August 2024

The August global surface temperature was 1.27°C (2.29°F) above the 20th-century average of 15.6°C (60.1°F), making it the warmest August on record. This was 0.01°C (0.02°F) above the previous August record set last year, and the 15th consecutive month of record-high global temperatures. August 2024 marked the 46th consecutive August (since 1979) with temperatures at least nominally above the 20th-century average.

It was the second warmest August for global ocean surface temperatures. These temperatures occurred under ENSO-neutral conditions. According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, La Niña conditions are expected to emerge in September-November (71% chance) and should persist through January-March 2025.

The Northern Hemisphere had its second-warmest August on record at 1.48°C (2.66°F) above average. The Northern Hemisphere land temperature also was second-warmest for August as was the ocean temperature. These were all slightly cooler than the record warm Northern Hemisphere in August 2023. The Arctic region had its fourth-warmest August on record.

August 2024 in the Southern Hemisphere ranked warmest on record at 1.06°C (1.91°F) above average. The ocean-only temperature for August in the Southern Hemisphere ranked second-highest on record, while the land-only Southern Hemisphere temperature was warmest on record. Meanwhile, the Antarctic region had its second-warmest August on record, 1.85°C (3.33°F) above average, and Antarctic sea ice extent was second lowest on record.

August 2024 Blended Land and Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies in degrees Celsius

August 2024 Blended Land and Sea Surface Temperature Percentiles

A smoothed map of blended land and sea surface temperature anomalies is also available.

Record warm temperatures covered large parts of central and western Europe and northern Africa in August. Record warmth also occurred in parts of Central America and the Caribbean, as well as areas of southwestern, central and eastern Asia. Record warm August temperatures also were widespread in Australia as well as Antarctica, where temperatures more than 4.0°C (7.2°F) warmer than average covered large parts of the continent. Elsewhere, much-warmer-than-average temperatures were present across most of central and northern South America stretching into Central America, through Mexico and into the southwestern U.S. Much warmer than average temperatures also were present across much of Canada and Greenland.

In the Arctic, record warm and much-above-average temperatures covered much of the region. Record-warmth reported in parts of the Arctic included several locations in the Swedish Arctic and in the Norwegian Arctic, where the Norwegian Meteorological Service reported (English translation) that all five weather stations with long measurement series, Bjørnøya, Hopen, Svalbard Airport, NyÅlesund and Jan Mayen set records for the warmest August, and both Bjørnøya and Svalbard Airport exceeded 10°C (50°F) as an average monthly temperature in August for the first time. In addition, temperatures exceeding 20°C (68°F) were measured for the first time at Svalbard Airport in August.

Record-warm temperatures covered approximately 10.3% of the world's surface this August, which was the highest percentage for August since the start of records in 1951, and 0.8% higher than the previous August record of 2023. Record-warmth covered approximately 11.4% of the global land surface, which also was the greatest coverage of record August temperatures since 2023.

In contrast to the expansive areas of much-warmer-than-average and record heat, cooler-than-average temperatures covered areas that included parts of the Russian Far East and western Alaska, much of Argentina and Chile, parts of central Africa as well as much of Pakistan, northern Kazakhstan and neighboring areas of Russia.

Across the global oceans, record warm sea surface temperatures covered parts of the Atlantic and much of the Caribbean. Record warmth also occured in central areas of the Indian Ocean, parts of the western Pacific and the Southern Ocean. Record-warm temperatures covered approximately 9.8% of the world's oceans in August, 0.9% greater than in 2023 and the highest percentage for August since the start of records in 1951. Approximately 0.2% of the global oceans was record cold in August. Near-average to cooler-than-average temperatures occurred in areas that included parts of the North Atlantic, the Bering Sea (where August temperatures were more than 1°C [1.8°F] below average), the eastern South Pacific, the southern Atlantic, and small parts of the Southern Ocean.

Europe had its warmest August on record, while Africa and North America each had their third-warmest Augusts, and South America its sixth-warmest August.

• Austria experienced its warmest August since records began, 3.0°C (5.4°F) above the 1991–2020 average in the Lowlands and 3.3°C (5.9°F) above average in the mountains region, in series that date back 258 years and 174 years, respectively.
• According to Spain's State Agency of Meteorology (AEMET), this was the warmest August for Spain since national records began in 1961, 2.0°C (3.6°F) above the 1991–2020 average.
• Germany tied 2015 and 2018 as the fourth-warmest August since national records began in 1881, 1.9°C (3.4°F) warmer than the 1991–2020 average.
• MeteoSwiss reported (English translation) that August was the second warmest since national records began in 1864, 2.7°C (4.9°F) above the 1991–2020 average, but cooler than the record hot August of 2003.
• The United Kingdom had its 25th warmest August on record, 0.3°C (0.54°F) above the 1991–2020 average for mean temperature, in a series dating back to 1884, based on preliminary data.
• The contiguous U.S. had its 15th warmest August in the 130-year record, tied with 1998.
• The Caribbean Islands region had its warmest August on record, 0.02°C (0.04°F) warmer than August 2023.
• The Main Development Region for hurricanes in the Atlantic had its second-warmest August on record, 0.13°C (0.23°F) below the record warm August of 2023.

August 2024 ranked warmest on record for Oceania and second-warmest for Asia.

• In Turkey August 2024 was the fourth-warmest August in the 53-year national record, 1.3°C (2.3°F) above the 1991–2020 average.
• Japan had its second-warmest August since statistics began in 1898, 1.84°C (3.31°F) above the 1991–2020 average.
• In Hong Kong, August 2024 was its second warmest August on record, 0.9°C (1.6°F) above average.
• According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Australia had its warmest August since national records began in 1910, 3.03°C (5.45°F) above the 1961–1990 average.
• According to New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, August 2024 was the ninth-warmest August for New Zealand (since national records began in 1909), 0.8°C (1.4°F) above the 1991–2020 average.

500 mb maps

In the atmosphere, 500-millibar height pressure anomalies correlate well with temperatures at the Earth's surface. The average position of the upper-level ridges of high pressure and troughs of low pressure—depicted by positive and negative 500-millibar height anomalies on the map—is generally reflected by areas of positive and negative temperature anomalies at the surface, respectively.

Seasonal Temperature: June–August 2024

The June 2024–August 2024 global surface temperature was the warmest June–August period in the 175-year record, 1.24°C (2.23°F) above the 20th-century average of 15.6°C (60.1°F). The past eleven June–August seasons have been the warmest such periods on record.

The June–August period is defined as the Northern Hemisphere's meteorological summer and the Southern Hemisphere's meteorological winter. The Northern Hemisphere summer 2024 temperature was the warmest on record, and marks the 46th consecutive summer with global temperatures nominally above the 20th-century average in the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere winter temperature also ranked warmest on record, and marks the 54th consecutive winter that was at least nominally warmer-than-average in the Southern Hemisphere.

Over the land surface, air temperatures for the season were record warm across much of Africa, eastern Europe, southwest Asia, central and southeast Asia, parts of southern Australia, and large parts of Brazil. Record warm June–August temperatures also occurred in many parts of the Arctic and Antarctic. Elsewhere seasonal temperatures were much above average across much of North America, except most notably in the central U.S. and western Alaska. Temperatures also were much above average or record warm in most of Greenland and northern parts of Scandinavia.

In contrast to the widespread anomalous warmth and record warm temperatures, areas with near-average to cooler-than-average temperatures were generally confined to the southern third of South America, a small part of eastern Antarctica, and eastern parts of the Russian Far East and western Alaska.

Sea surface temperatures for the June–August period were record warm across large parts of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean, the central and northern Indian Ocean, many parts of the western Pacific, and parts of the Southern Ocean. Areas with seasonal sea surface temperatures cooler than the 1991–2020 average included the southeastern Pacific Ocean, parts of the southern Atlantic, the North Atlantic, and a small part of the southwest Indian Ocean.

June 2024–August 2024 Blended Land and Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies in degrees Celsius

June 2024–August 2024 Blended Land and Sea Surface Temperature Percentiles

A smoothed map of blended land and sea surface temperature anomalies is also available.

Europe recorded its warmest summer on record at 2.70°C (4.86°F) above the 20th century average. Africa's June–August period also ranked warmest, 1.81°C (3.26°F) above average.

• Germany had its fifth-warmest summer (tied with 1947 and 2023) since 1901, 0.9°C (1.6°F) above the 1991–2020 average.
• Austria had its second-warmest summer across the entire area of Austria. In the lowlands of Austria it was the warmest summer in the 258-year series, and in the mountains the second warmest summer in the 174-year series, based on preliminary data.

North America (1.62°C; 2.92°F above average) was second-warmest for the season while South America (1.70°C; 3.06°F above average) had its third-warmest June–August.

• The 2024 summer season in the contiguous U.S. was fourth-warmest on record, 0.08°C (0.15°F) less than the record-warm summers of 1936 and 2021.
• The Caribbean Islands region had its warmest summer on record, 0.14°C (0.25°F) warmer than the previous record warm summer of 2023.
• In the Gulf of Mexico the June–August summer season was its second warmest on record, and the Main Development Region for hurricanes in the Atlantic also was second warmest on record, 0.06°C (0.11°F) less than the record warm summer of 2023.

Asia (1.87°C; 3.37°F above average) and Oceania (1.40°C; 2.52°F above average) each had their warmest June‐August periods on record.

• In Japan, 2024 tied 2023 as the warmest summer since national records began in 1898, 1.76°C (3.17°F) above the 1991–2020 average.
• In Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology reported that the national mean temperature for winter was 1.48°C (2.66°F) above the 1961–1990 average, the second-warmest winter on record.
• According to New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), winter in New Zealand was its third-warmest on record, 1.0°C (1.8°F) above the 1991–2020 average.

Year-to-date Temperature: January–August 2024

The January–August global surface temperature was the warmest in the 175-year record at 1.28°C (2.30°F) above the 1901-2000 average of 14.0°C (57.2°F).

January to August was characterized by much-warmer-than-average to record-warm conditions across many parts of the globe. Record warm temperatures covered much of Europe, the Mediterranean and neighboring areas of northern Africa, central and southern Africa, parts of China and Southeast Asia as well as a large part of central and northern South America, Central America and Mexico. Much-warmer-than-average temperatures covered much of the rest of North America, the Arctic, central and southern Asia, and Australia. In Antarctica above average to record warm temperatures covered the entire continent with the exception of a relatively small area in eastern Antarctica. The largest temperature anomalies for the year-to-date period were in the Arctic and eastern Canada, where temperatures more than 2 to 3°C (3.6 to 5.4°F) above average were widespread.

In contrast, small areas of near to below-average January‐August temperatures occurred in parts of the Russian Far East and Alaska, the southern tip of South America, and southeastern Greenland and northern Iceland.

Sea surface temperatures for the January–August period were above average to record-warm across much of the Atlantic Ocean, parts of the northwest and western equatorial Pacific Ocean as well as much of the Indian Ocean and parts of the Southern Ocean. Sea surface temperatures for the eight-month period were near to below average in parts of the northern Atlantic Ocean, the southwestern Atlantic, the southeastern Pacific, the southwestern Indian Ocean, and parts of the Southern Ocean.

January–August 2024 Blended Land and Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies in degrees Celsius

January–August 2024 Blended Land and Sea Surface Temperature Percentiles

A smoothed map of blended land and sea surface temperature anomalies is also available.

South America, Europe, and Africa each had their warmest January–August periods on record. The January–August temperature was a remarkable 0.66°C (1.19°F) above the previous record in Europe, and in Africa it was 0.38°C (0.68°F) above the previous record. North America and Oceania each had their second-warmest January–August periods on record while Asia was fourth-warmest.

• In the contiguous U.S. the January–August 2024 period was the second-warmest on record, 0.56°C (1.01°F) less than the previous record from 2012.

Precipitation

The maps shown below represent land-only precipitation anomalies and land-only percent of normal precipitation based on the GHCN dataset of land surface stations.

August 2024

August 2024 Land-Only Precipitation Anomalies

August 2024 Land-Only Precipitation Percent of Normal

August was drier-than-average across much of Europe, the Mediterranean and parts of North Africa. Other areas with below-average precipitation included large parts of the U.S., Mexico, much of Argentina and large parts of the eastern half of Russia, central and southern China, and much of southern and central Australia. Areas most notably wetter than average included areas affected by tropical systems, such as the southeastern U.S., parts of northwest India and southeast Pakistan, and parts of Japan. Other notable areas of above-average precipitation included southern areas of the West Africa Sahel, northeastern China and eastern Mongolia, central Asia, southern Bangladesh, parts of central Argentina, and much of central and western Alaska.

• In southern Bangladesh, where August precipitation in some areas was more than 200% of normal, heavy monsoon rains led to extensive flooding with reports of more than 5 million people affected.
• August precipitation was well above normal in northeastern China where there were reports of extreme and destructive rainfall in Liaoning province leading to extensive damage to infrastructure.
• In southern and western Chad and neighboring areas of the Sahel, August rainfall was well above average. A continuation of torrential rains caused flooding that reportedly affected more than 2 million people and created a humanitarian crisis with hundreds of deaths and large-scale community displacement.


• MeteoSwiss reported (English translation) that August was drier than normal in most areas of the country. The most anomalous dry areas were in the east and southeast, where monthly totals less than 50% of normal were widespread. Although most areas were drier than average, severe storms occurred on August 12 in the Brienz region and Grindelwald area. Impacts included overflow of the Milibach River resulting in flooding and mudslides with extensive damage to houses, roads and railway facilities.
• Austria had long dry periods in August with some severe thunderstorms and heavy rain leading to flooding and mudslides, with reports of severe impacts most notable in the transportation sector. However, for Austria as a whole, August precipitation was 29% less than the 1991–2020 average.
• The UK Met Office reported that rainfall was near average (110% of the long-term average) for the UK overall, but there was wide variation; e.g., precipitation in southern England was only 50% of average, while in northwestern Scotland it was 162% of average.
• In Germany, precipitation for August was 21.1% below the 1991–2020 average, making it the 34th driest August since national records began in 1881 and the 26th driest since 1901.


• According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, August rainfall was above average in areas that included large parts of Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland, while areas with below average precipitation included Victoria, much of southern South Australia, and large parts of New South Wales. For Australia as a whole, the area-averaged precipitation total for August was 4.8% below the 1961–1990 average.

Drought in August

Drought information is based on global drought indicators available at the Global Drought Information System website, and media reports summarized by the National Drought Mitigation Center.

August Overview:

GDIS global indicators revealed beneficial precipitation fell across parts of the world during August 2024, while other parts continued dry.


• Dry conditions persisted across South America, which had the driest August on record, continent-wide (based on the 1940-2024 ECMWF ERA5 Reanalysis dataset); the Mediterranean region had the 31^th driest August, Eastern Europe ranked 12^th driest, and Southern Africa ranked 17^th driest, even though Africa as a whole had the eighth wettest August due to wet conditions in the north and east.
• Relentless heat continued, with August 2024 ranking as the warmest August on record worldwide and for several continents, based on 1910-2024 NOAA/NCEI data and ECMWF ERA5 Reanalysis data — the continents included Europe and Australia as well as the Mediterranean and Caribbean regions. Asia and Central America had the second warmest August, and Africa and North America the third warmest. The excessive heat increased evapotranspiration which exacerbated the drought conditions.
• A significant portion of the world’s agricultural lands was still suffering from low soil moisture and groundwater levels — especially in the Americas, Africa, eastern Europe, and parts of Asia — and satellite observations showed stressed vegetation on most continents. The GEOGLAM Crop Monitor indicated that agriculture was most threatened in parts of Central and South America, Africa, Europe, southwest Russia, and southern Australia. The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWSNet) revealed significant food insecurity continuing in parts of Central and South America, Southwest Asia, and much of Africa.
• The media organization Circle of Blue discussed a report by Pacific Institute’s Water Conflict Chronology, a database of water-related violence, that noted violent incidents associated with water rose by 50 percent in 2023. Wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and ongoing drought in farming-dependent regions, contributed to the surge of violent water conflicts last year.

Europe:

• Virtually all of Europe was warmer than normal in August, with the month ranking as the hottest August in the 1910-2024 NOAA/NCEI temperature record, continent-wide.

Asia:

• The August SPI maps showed parts of Asia unusually dry and other parts quite wet. The dry areas included parts of western and northern Russia, the Amur River region, eastern to southern China, Southeast Asia, and parts of Southwest Asia.

Africa:

• Northern and eastern parts of Africa were wet during August while southern and coastal western parts were drier than normal. August temperatures were warmer than normal across almost the entire continent.

Australia:

• Southern and some northern parts of Australia were drier than average during August, while temperatures were warmer than average across the continent.

South America:

• Above-average precipitation fell across much of Argentina to Paraguay, and parts of eastern Brazil, during August, but the SPI maps show northern, western, and southern parts of South America were dry.

North America:

• In North America, the SPI showed August as drier than average across the northern half of Mexico to the southern Plains in the United States (U.S.), in the southwestern U.S., from the Gulf of Mexico to the Ohio Valley, and across much of Canada.

References

• Adler, R., G. Gu, M. Sapiano, J. Wang, G. Huffman 2017. Global Precipitation: Means, Variations and Trends During the Satellite Era (1979-2014). Surveys in Geophysics 38: 679-699, doi:10.1007/s10712-017-9416-4
• Adler, R., M. Sapiano, G. Huffman, J. Wang, G. Gu, D. Bolvin, L. Chiu, U. Schneider, A. Becker, E. Nelkin, P. Xie, R. Ferraro, D. Shin, 2018. The Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) Monthly Analysis (New Version 2.3) and a Review of 2017 Global Precipitation. Atmosphere. 9(4), 138; doi:10.3390/atmos9040138
• Gu, G., and R. Adler, 2022. Observed Variability and Trends in Global Precipitation During 1979-2020. Climate Dynamics, doi:10.1007/s00382-022-06567-9
• Huang, B., Peter W. Thorne, et. al, 2017: Extended Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperature version 5 (ERSSTv5), Upgrades, validations, and intercomparisons. J. Climate, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0836.1
• Huang, B., V.F. Banzon, E. Freeman, J. Lawrimore, W. Liu, T.C. Peterson, T.M. Smith, P.W. Thorne, S.D. Woodruff, and H-M. Zhang, 2016: Extended Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperature Version 4 (ERSST.v4). Part I: Upgrades and Intercomparisons. J. Climate, 28, 911-930, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00006.1.
• Menne, M. J., C. N. Williams, B.E. Gleason, J. J Rennie, and J. H. Lawrimore, 2018: The Global Historical Climatology Network Monthly Temperature Dataset, Version 4. J. Climate, in press. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0094.1.
• Peterson, T.C. and R.S. Vose, 1997: An Overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network Database. Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., 78, 2837-2849.
• Vose, R., B. Huang, X. Yin, D. Arndt, D. R. Easterling, J. H. Lawrimore, M. J. Menne, A. Sanchez-Lugo, and H. M. Zhang, 2021. Implementing Full Spatial Coverage in NOAA's Global Temperature Analysis. Geophysical Research Letters 48(10), e2020GL090873; doi:10.1029/2020gl090873.

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