According to the European climate agency Copernicus, 2024 is expected to be the hottest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time.

Also, November 2024 became the second warmest November ever leaving behind November 2023. The average surface air temperature for the month was 14.10 degrees Celsius, 0.73 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991–2020 average.

The month set another record in global warming, with temperatures reaching 1.62 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. It also marked the 16th out of the past 17 months where global temperatures have left behind the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels, according to the agency.

In India, the India Meteorological Department said that November 2024 was the second warmest November since 1901, with the average maximum temperature reaching 29.37 degrees Celsius, 0.62 degrees higher than normal.
From January to November 2024, the global average temperature inconsistency was 0.72 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, the highest recorded for this period. This is 0.14 degrees Celsius warmer than the same period in 2023.

The European Climate Agency has stated that it is almost certain 2024 will exceed 2023 as the warmest year on record, with global temperatures expected to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. For reference, 2023, the current record holder, saw temperatures 1.48 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

In November 2024, the average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) were the second-highest ever recorded for the month, reaching 20.58 degrees Celsius, just 0.13 degrees Celsius lower than the November 2023 record.

Although the equatorial eastern and central Pacific regions showed a trend towards neutral or La Niña conditions, Copernicus noted that sea surface temperatures remained unusually high across many other parts of the world's oceans.

Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service analyzes that, "With data from the second-to-last month of the year now in, we can confidently confirm that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first year with global temperatures surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius. While this does not mean the Paris Agreement has been violated, it emphasizes the critical need for swift and ambitious climate action."

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015 tends to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change. A permanent breach of the 1.5-degree Celsius limit would involve sustained warming over a 20- to 30-year period.

The Earth's surface temperature has already risen by about 1.3 degrees Celsius compared to the 1850-1900 average, driven by the rapid increase in greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide and methane, in the atmosphere.