2nd-warmest May Globally

Both Copernicus and Berkeley Earth reported today that May 2025 was the 2nd warmest May -- in BE's case, since 1850.

BE had a Monthly Press Briefing Zoom call this morning with more details:

• May 2025 was 1.33 C above the 1850-1900 average
• that's 0.15 C below April 2025 and the first month in 12 months below 1.5 C
• 2nd warmest Spring (Mar-May)
• 2nd warmest spring (March-May)
• 5th warmest May for land temperatures
• Third warmest May for ocean temps
• notable: the marine heat wave around UK, probably due to short-term meteorological conditions
• 4% of the Earth’s surface had a locally record warm May average
• 1% of land surfaces and 5% of ocean surfaces
• India cool in May; record high rainfall
• A city in central India had coolest May in 100 yrs
• Land only anomaly – +1.62 C above 1850-1900 avg
• Ocean third warmest for May, +0.99 C
• Probabilities for 2025:
• 5% chance 2025 could be the warmest yar
• 50% chance 2025 is 2nd warmest year on record
• 43% chance to be above 1.5 C
• Long-term trend presently reads 1.4 C, rising at 0.2 C/decade.
• 2023/2024 warming spike likely to be the average year a decade from now
• Paper coming out next month: rate of rise has increased to 0.25 C/decade
• Likely due to declining aerosols