September Recorded as Third Warmest Globally According to Copernicus Data
The latest data from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service reveals that last month ranked as the third warmest September worldwide since temperature records began. The global average temperature reached 16.11 degrees Celsius, marking a significant deviation from pre-industrial levels measured between 1850 and 1900.
This value indicates that September 2025 was 1.47 degrees Celsius warmer than the historical monthly average from the pre-industrial era. The continued increase in global temperatures highlights the ongoing challenges posed by climate change and the increasing trend of record-breaking heat.
Analysis of a twelve-month period from October 2024 to September 2025 further underscores the warming trend. During this interval, the average global temperature was 1.51 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average. This figure surpasses the 1.5-degree threshold identified by the international community as a critical limit to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change.
Although the 1.5-degree target has been temporarily exceeded, climate policy frameworks consider the goal officially missed only if this threshold is surpassed over several consecutive years. To prevent persistent breaches of this limit, experts emphasize the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly and rapidly. In addition, strategies for extracting large volumes of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere are considered essential to achieving long-term climate stabilization.
Comparing the recent September data to previous years, the month was 0.27 degrees Celsius cooler than the record-setting September of 2023 but only 0.07 degrees below the temperature recorded in September of the previous year. These small differences point to a consistent pattern of elevated temperatures in recent years, reflecting the broader trend of global warming.
Copernicus compiles its climate data using an extensive range of sources, including billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations worldwide. This robust data infrastructure allows for comprehensive monitoring of global temperatures, sea ice coverage, and precipitation patterns, thereby supporting scientific research and informing climate policy decisions.
The findings from Copernicus serve as a reminder of the pressing need for coordinated international action to address climate change. Ongoing monitoring and transparent reporting of key indicators such as global temperature are essential for tracking progress and guiding effective mitigation strategies.