Meteorologists are predicting that February 2024 is on track to shatter existing heat records due to a combination of human-induced global warming and the El Nino climate pattern. Temperature spikes have already reached unprecedented levels, particularly in sea-surface temperatures, and have alarmed the experts.
Dr Joel Hirschi from the UK National Oceanography Centre Said “The planet is warming at an accelerating rate, with rapid temperature increases in the ocean, the climate’s largest reservoir of heat.”
What is heating up this February?
According to Berkeley Earth scientist Zeke Hausfather, humanity is heading towards the hottest February on record, following record-breaking months in January 2024 and the last seven months of 2023 since May.
The current trajectory indicates a potential 2°C warming above pre-industrial levels but this may be a brief peak impacted by El Nino.
Hausfather was quoted as saying by The Guardian: “The climate has become more erratic and harder to forecast.”
Despite the likelihood of extreme temperatures persisting, he noted that weather models suggest a potential decline in global temperatures in the coming week.
Where all February is feeling heated?
The first half of February witnessed an alarming number of meteorological station heat records worldwide.
Countries such as Morocco and China experienced temperatures well above average for their respective seasons, while numerous nations, including South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Japan have reported monthly heat records.
As El Nino weather pattern weakens, temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are expected to ease from late spring or early summer.
Dr Joel Hirschi added: “Slowing, stopping, or reversing the warming trajectory is akin to changing the course of a supertanker. Results are not immediate, but the sooner we take action, the easier it will be to avoid hitting trouble.”