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Scorching Records: The Hottest May in History and Its Impact on Our Planet, Breaking Records and Intensifying the Climate Crisis

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Last updated: 09 Mar 2025

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Abstract

May 2024 has been recorded as the hottest May in history, with global temperatures averaging 1.18 degrees Celsius above the 20th-century norm, marking the twelfth consecutive month of unprecedented heat. This review aims to present a comprehensive analysis of the data pertaining to this record-breaking month. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), May 2024 was the warmest May in their 175-year global record. Most of the world's land masses experienced above-average temperatures, with notable exceptions in eastern Antarctica, western Russia, southern South America, Greenland, and western North America. The persistence of elevated temperatures highlights the ongoing impacts of climate change, necessitating urgent action to mitigate its effects on ecosystems and human health. In Africa, May 2024 was recorded as the warmest month ever. The exceptionally high ocean temperatures that began in April 2023 persisted for a record 14 months, concluding in May 2024. While sea surface temperatures were below average in certain areas of the Southern and Southeast Pacific, as well as the Southern Indian Ocean basins, most other regions experienced above-average temperatures, particularly in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Following Africa, Europe recorded the third warmest May, with North America in fifth place, South America in eleventh, Asia in ninth, and Oceania in sixth. According to the latest climate bulletin from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the global average temperature for May 2024 was 1.52°C higher than the pre-industrial average for 1850-1900. This marked the average global temperature was 1.63°C higher than the pre-industrial average and 0.75°C higher than the average from 1991–2020, solidifying this period as the warmest on record. The review provides a comprehensive account of the record-breaking temperatures observed in May 2024, examining their extensive impacts on climate, ecosystems, and economies. It also highlights the critical consequences of rising global temperatures and outlines global initiatives aimed at addressing the climate crisis.

DOI

10.21608/cat.2024.322961.1332

Keywords

Climate Change, Climate impacts, Copernicus Climate Change Service, Global Warming, May 2024, Record temperatures

Authors

First Name

Abdelraouf

Last Name

Moustafa

MiddleName

A.

Affiliation

Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt, PO 41522

Email

raoufmoustafa2@hotmail.com

City

Ismailia

Orcid

0000-0001-6378-1949

First Name

Roba

Last Name

Elganainy

MiddleName

Abdelhakim

Affiliation

Botany and Microbiology department, faculty of science , suez canal university, Ismailia, Egypt, PO 41522

Email

robaabdelhakim@gmail.com

City

Ismailia

Orcid

-

First Name

Monier

Last Name

Abdelghnai

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

Email

mmabdelghnai@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Samira

Last Name

Mansour

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Ismailia, Egypt, PO. 41522

Email

samirarmansour@yahoo.com

City

Ismailia

Orcid

0000-0001-8975-5335

Volume

33

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

54173

Issue Date

2024-12-01

Receive Date

2024-09-22

Publish Date

2024-03-01

Page Start

29

Page End

42

Print ISSN

1687-5052

Online ISSN

2090-2786

Link

https://cat.journals.ekb.eg/article_399474.html

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http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=399474

Order

399,474

Type

Original Article

Type Code

644

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Catrina: The International Journal of Environmental Sciences

Publication Link

https://cat.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Scorching Records: The Hottest May in History and Its Impact on Our Planet, Breaking Records and Intensifying the Climate Crisis

Details

Type

Article

Created At

09 Mar 2025