New data has confirmed that May was Earth’s 12th consecutive month of record high global average atmospheric temperatures.

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), Earth’s global average surface air temperature in May 2024 was 1.52°C above the pre-industrial (1850 to 1900) average. Compared to a more recent climate, last month was 0.65°C warmer than the 1991-2020 May average.

This made May 2024 the 11th consecutive month with a pre-industrial temperature anomaly greater than 1.5°C, and the 12th month in a row to set a new record for global average temperature for that month.

Image: Monthly global average air temperature anomalies from 1940 to 2024, based on the ERA5 dataset. Source: ECMWF / Copernicus Climate Change Service

Australia played its part in pushing up the global average temperature last month, with a national mean temperature that was 0.99°C above the 1961–1990 average. This was Australia’s 17th warmest May in 115 years of records.

Image: Australia’s mean air temperature in May 2024. Source: Bureau of Meteorology.

While 2024 is off to a record-warm start, it’s too early to know if it will end up beating 2023 as Earth’s warmest year on record. However, the World Meteorological Organisation says that there is an 86% chance that at least one of the next five years (2024 and 2028) will be warmer than 2023.