Overview

• The Copernicus service reports May 2025 global land temperatures averaged 15.79°C, making it the second-warmest May on record.
• With temperatures 1.4°C above pre-industrial levels, May broke a near two-year sequence of months exceeding the 1.5°C warming limit.
• Global sea surface temperatures reached an average of 20.79°C, marking the second-highest May reading with record heat in parts of the North Atlantic and Mediterranean.
• Data-driven models project that the 1.5°C threshold will be exceeded permanently by June 2029 if current emission trends continue.
• Spring in Northwest and Central Europe was unusually dry, with some areas recording the lowest rainfall and soil moisture since at least 1979.