THE weather may have been enjoyable for some in recent weeks, though a new report from The EU Copernicus Climate Change Service has delivered a stark warning that last month was the second warmest global March on record.
The climate crisis continues apace as March also marked the 20th time in as many months that the average global surface air temperature was more than 1.5 degrees centigrade above the monthly pre-industrial level.
According to climate scientific consensus, an annual increase of this size or above has the potential for severe impact when it comes to extreme global weather events, such as the recent devastating spate of fires in California.
The average surface air temperature was 14.06C, which was 0.65 degrees above the 1991-2020 average for March. It was also 1.60 degrees above the pre-industrial level.
Within Europe, the average temperature over land was 6.03 degrees last month, which was 2.41 degrees above the 1991-2020 March monthly average, making it the warmest March in Europe currently on record.
The monthly Copernicus bulletin also showed contrasting rainfall extremes on the continent, with many areas experiencing both their driest March on record, and others their wettest. The record dates back 47 years.
Dryness for the UK and Ireland was higher than average, forming part of a large east-west band across Europe which extends south to the Black Sea, Greece and Turkey.
By contrast, much of southern Europe – particularly over the Iberian Peninsula – saw wetter-than-average conditions, which experienced overwhelming storms and widespread flooding. Norway, parts of Iceland and Russia were also wetter than average.
Arctic sea ice was 6% below average, the lowest monthly extent for March since records began in 1978. This marks the fourth consecutive month in which Arctic sea ice has set a record low for the time of year.