This year is poised to be among the three warmest years on record, following what was the third-warmest October on record, new data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has suggested.
According to the data, October 2025 recorded a global average surface air temperature of 15.14°C, which was 0.70°C above the 1991–2020 average for the month.
October 2025 was 0.16°C higher than the warmest October on record, in 2023, and was 0.11°C higher than the corresponding month a year earlier.
Looking at the 12-month period from November 2024 to October 2025, meanwhile, temperatures were 0.62°C above the 1991–2020 baseline and 1.50°C above pre-industrial levels.
‘Accelerating pace’
“We are now in the decade where the 1.5°C limit is likely to be exceeded, highlighting the accelerating pace of climate change and the urgent need for action,” commented Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate, C3S.
“October 2025 was the third-warmest October on record globally, and while 2025 may not be the hottest year, it is almost certain to rank in the top three. The last three years saw exceptional temperatures, and the average for 2023–2025 is likely to exceed 1.5°C, the first time for a three-year period.”
European temperatures
On a pan-European basis, the average land temperature stood at 10.19°C for the month, which was 0.60°C above the 1991–2020 average.
The most pronounced above-average air temperatures were recorded in Fennoscandia and the southern Iberian Peninsula, while below-average temperatures were seen in southeastern Europe.
Outside Europe, above-average temperatures were recorded over northeastern Canada, the central Arctic Ocean and East Antarctica, while cooler conditions were present across southern and eastern Russia, Mongolia, eastern Kazakhstan and northern China.
Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) averaged 20.54°C for the month, which was the third-highest value for October. Much of the North Pacific experienced SSTs well above average, while parts of the equatorial Pacific showed cooling linked to a transition toward weak La Niña conditions.
Elsewhere, arctic sea ice extent for October was 12% below average, the eighth lowest for the month. Read more here.
