Temperature records for February 2024: one of the warmest in Europe
The month of February 2024 was the warmest, or one of the warmest, ever recorded in Europe. The European temperatures in February 2024 were +3.30°C above the 1991-2020 February average, but in some areas, this anomaly was even higher. Several countries also surpassed the previous February record, often by a wide margin.
Temperature records across Europe: in England and Wales, it was a record-breaking February; in France, February 2024 was marked as the 25th consecutive month with temperatures above average. Germany set records with an anomaly of nearly +5°C compared to the 1991-2020 period; Hungary, +7°C; the Czech Republic, +6°C; Switzerland and Austria, +5°C; the Netherlands, +4°C; and Denmark, +3°C above average. Italy also experienced a February record with +3°C. In Poland, anomalies ranged from +3 to +7°C, with many meteorological stations also breaking their own March records. Milder air was also observed in Scandinavia, despite being one of the few areas in the northern hemisphere where winter was particularly felt, temperatures were above average.
Effectively everywhere in the dark red shading smashed warmest February record - most by large margin. Austria has over 250 years of temperature record and nothing compares to this. Not even close.
— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) March 3, 2024
Source: https://t.co/BzpCeAgCqL pic.twitter.com/1QpbDt0Z9h
The temperature anomaly in the North Atlantic continues for 365 consecutive days at record levels. Sea surface temperatures in some regions have risen to unprecedented levels. The warmer ocean could also contribute to recent rainy events. Although the exact cause of this unusual warming is not clear, scientists have considered several factors: in addition to the underlying trend of global warming, other factors such as the lack of desert dust, the type of circulation forced by the Enso with blocking anticyclones, and the decrease in sulfur from ship emissions may play a role. In 2020, international regulations limiting sulfur emissions from ships came into effect.
Meteorological variability overlapped with the underlying trend of global warming to create an exceptional month over a wide area, thus contributing to the ninth consecutive month of global heat records.