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The world is experiencing a string of intense climate, from the polar vortex within the north to a cyclone close to south-east Australia, because the latest information show the worldwide temperatures that contribute to extremes proceed to linger close to report highs.

Scientists had anticipated the La Niña cooling phenomenon within the Pacific to ease rising temperatures, after the worldwide average reached more than 1.5C above the pre-industrial degree in 19 of the previous 20 months. 

However the cooling cycle’s affect on the southern ocean has been weak. Final month was the third-hottest February on report at 13.36C, or 1.59C above the pre-industrial degree, the EU’s Earth statement company Copernicus reported, and sea ice cowl was at an all-time minimal.

“The long-term prognosis for Arctic sea ice is grim as the region continues to rapidly heat up and can only be saved with rapid and massive cuts to greenhouse gas emissions that will also limit the growing severity of weather extremes and long-term sea level rise across the world,” mentioned Richard Allan, professor of climate science at College of Studying.

The average sea floor temperature was 20.88C in February, the second-highest worth on report for the month after the identical period in 2024. 

Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate on the European Centre for Medium-Vary Climate Forecasts, mentioned the newest month-to-month information confirmed a continued “streak of record or near-record temperatures observed throughout the last two years”. 

Scientists have long warned of more excessive climate as a result of of rising temperatures. Tropical Cyclone Alfred is on track to hit components of the east coast of Australia a lot farther south than such storms usually land, whereas Japan is struggling its worst wildfires in many years. 

On the identical time, the disruption of the polar vortex — a massive band of cold, rotating air that retains the colder air nearer the poles — is predicted to unleash freezing climate throughout North America later this month, with components of the UK and Europe additionally anticipated to expertise extreme cold.

A “collapse” of the polar vortex happens when the layer between 10 and 50km above the Earth’s floor heats up to 50C in much less than two days, disrupting the traditional circulation of cold air across the poles. Inside weeks, this could have an effect on the form of the jet stream, the band of air that circles the globe, permitting cold air to spill down.

A lot of the US skilled cold in February after a polar vortex disruption then contributed to storms throughout the midwest and north-east.

Against this, the south-western US and Mexico, in addition to northern Chile and Argentina, Western Australia and the Arctic skilled above-average temperatures in February, Copernicus mentioned.

The World Meteorological Group mentioned on Thursday that the weak La Niña cycle that emerged in December was more likely to be transient, with a 60 per cent probability that it’s going to shift back to impartial between March and Might.

Whereas sea temperatures had cooled within the tropical Pacific area, they remained “unusually high in many ocean basins and seas”, Copernicus mentioned.

“The heating is so fast,” mentioned Stefan Uhlenbrook, director of hydrology, water and cryosphere on the WMO. “The changing climate is reflected in the ocean temperature and that leads to more melting of sea ice.”