Warmest January of all: Moscow absolutely snowless, dull and grey six days into February

January 2025 has set yet another alarming climate record, becoming the warmest January ever recorded globally. Despite expectations that temperatures would cool slightly due to the fading of the El Niño weather pattern, the month exceeded the previous record set in January 2024 by nearly 0.1°C, according to data from the European Copernicus climate service.

Photo: Flickr by Nickolas Titkov, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Spring in Moscow

The ongoing trend of rising global temperatures is primarily attributed to human-driven emissions of greenhouse gases, especially from the burning of fossil fuels. However, scientists are still trying to fully understand why the past year and a half have seen such significant temperature increases, surpassing projections by roughly 0.2°C.

January 2025 was measured to be 1.75°C warmer than the late 19th-century baseline, a time before industrial activities began significantly altering the Earth's climate. Typically, global temperatures are influenced by natural climate cycles such as El Niño and La Niña. Last year, El Niño warmed the planet by releasing excess heat stored in the Pacific Ocean. This year, La Niña is beginning to develop, which should have a cooling effect, yet the anticipated drop in temperatures has not materialized.

Some scientists theorize that the unexpected warmth could be linked to a delayed response of the oceans to the recent El Niño, which may have triggered the release of accumulated heat. Others suggest that decreasing levels of atmospheric aerosols—tiny particles that help reflect sunlight away from Earth—may have played a role. Recent air pollution control measures, particularly in shipping and Chinese industry, have reduced aerosol levels, potentially lessening their cooling effect.

In Russia, Moscow experienced an exceptionally warm January, further highlighting the global trend. The city's weather felt more like April than midwinter, with temperatures frequently exceeding the seasonal norm by several degrees. Instead of the usual deep freeze and heavy snowfall, Muscovites saw rain showers, mild conditions, and a lack of stable snow cover. Some days even recorded temperatures above freezing, an anomaly for a city accustomed to harsh winters. All the snow that Moscow and Central Russia saw in late December and early January was gone. Moscow is still absolutely snowless, dull and gray six days into February 2025.

While scientists still expect 2025 to be slightly cooler than the record-breaking years of 2023 and 2024, the unexpected warmth of January raises uncertainties. What remains clear is that as long as greenhouse gas emissions continue, new temperature records are inevitable, reinforcing the urgency for climate action.