The planet recorded its fifth-hottest January on record, despite a severe cold snap that swept across parts of the United States and Europe, the EU’s climate monitoring service said on Tuesday.
The Northern Hemisphere experienced intense cold waves in the latter part of the month, as disruptions to the polar jet stream pushed Arctic air into Europe and North America, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
However, global temperatures for the month remained above average across much of the world, including large areas of the Arctic and western North America, Copernicus said.
“January 2026 was a stark reminder that the climate system can deliver very cold conditions in some regions while producing extreme warmth elsewhere at the same time,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
The average global temperature in January was 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels, the service said.
Europe endured its coldest January since 2010, with an average temperature of 2.34°C, according to Copernicus.
In the United States, a major winter storm dumped heavy snow and freezing rain from New Mexico to Maine, leaving widespread disruption and being linked to more than 100 deaths.
The data underscores the persistence of human-driven global warming. 2024 remains the hottest year on record, followed by 2023, with 2025 ranking third, Copernicus said.
