WMO placed 2025 among the three warmest years
Retrospective: Eight datasets agreed on exceptional warmth but differed on rank.
- Event / announcement date
- 2026-01-14
- Earliest linked source date
- 2026-01-14
- NewsTumble first published
- 2026-10-25T22:01:35Z
- NewsTumble updated
- 2026-10-25T22:01:35Z
The World Meteorological Organization reported on January 14, 2026 that 2025 was among the three warmest years in the observational record. Its consolidated analysis of eight datasets put the global average surface temperature 1.44°C above the 1850–1900 average, with an uncertainty margin of ±0.13°C. [1]
The datasets did not assign precisely the same rank: two placed 2025 second and six placed it third in the 176-year record. All eight nevertheless identified 2023, 2024 and 2025 as the three warmest years. WMO’s combined average for that three-year period was 1.48°C above its pre-industrial reference, also with a ±0.13°C uncertainty margin. [1]
That distinction matters when reading annual rankings: the report’s agreement concerns sustained exceptional warmth, while the exact position of 2025 depends on the dataset. WMO also found that 2015–2025 were the eleven warmest years in all eight series. The figures describe global averages across a year or several years; they do not describe the temperature experienced at every location or on any particular day. [1]
The source
- WMO: WMO confirms 2025 was one of warmest years on record ↗
Source published 2026-01-14 · reviewed 2026-10-25
About this item: Retrospective source brief. No first-hand reporting or independent testing is claimed. Corrections policy.
