Copernicus already announced this January that last year was the warmest in the history of measurements with an average global temperature of 14.98 degrees Celsius. It surpassed 2016, which was the previous record holder, by a large margin. This year’s April globally lowered the previous maximum from 2016 by 0.14 degrees.
Europe narrowly missed out on record warm April weather this year, where the average temperature was 1.49 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 April average. It was the second warmest April in the history of measurements. The most above-average temperatures were in Eastern Europe in April, while the below-average values were in Scandinavia and Iceland.
Copernicus pointed out that the data on the average temperature in Europe erases the contrast between the heat and the cold that the west of the old continent experienced in the beginning and the second half of April.
Outside of Europe, temperatures were most above average in northern and northeastern North America, Greenland, eastern Asia, the northwestern Middle East, parts of South America, and most of Africa.
“El Niño peaked earlier in the year and sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific are now returning to neutral conditions,” said Copernicus program head Carlo Buontempo, referring to the climate phenomenon that temporarily warms parts of the Pacific Ocean and affects weather around the world.
“However, while temperature fluctuations associated with natural cycles such as El Niño come and go, the additional energy trapped in the ocean and atmosphere due to rising greenhouse gas concentrations will continue to push global temperatures to new records,” Buontempo added.
Climate change notwithstanding. Coal-fired power plants in the world are on the rise
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