Global experts declare 2024 the warmest year on record, St. Louis could continue to feel the heat

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - While most St. Louis residents have been focused on the recent snowstorms, international experts have been looking at the heat felt globally last year. Experts with the Missouri Botanical Garden say they’ve been studying the hotter temperatures the last few years on plants — and it could be very different on the banks of the Mississippi in 100 years.

Today, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) announced that 2024 was the warmest year on record across the Earth. The National Weather Service recently ranked 2024 as the second-hottest year in St. Louis.

These two findings follow a year marked by drought, dry conditions and flooding across much of Missouri.

While the Copernicus System is based in Europe, they look at data from credible sources around the world — including the U.S. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric istration.

In their most recent studies, they said it was the first time on record that the average global temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than it was before the industrial age. The scientists who compiled the report looked over “unprecedented” day, month and yearly temperature records last year.

"Human-induced climate change remains the primary driver of extreme air and sea surface temperatures; while other factors, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), also contributed to the unusual temperatures observed during the year," C3S says.

Some key takeaways from the C3S report include:

• This was the hottest year on record since 1850.
• The global average temperature was 15.10 degrees Celsius (roughly 59 degrees Fahrenheit)
• It was markedly higher than it was in 2023.
• Multiple scientists noted that over the past decade, (2015-2024), there have been multiple record heat years set.
• “2024 was the warmest year for all continental regions, except Antarctica and Australasia (2), as well as for sizeable parts of the ocean, particularly the North Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific Ocean,” C3S says.
• And between January and June 2024, each month was warmer than the previous year’s record.

The Missouri Botanical Garden has multiple teams researching the impacts of warmer climates on plants, and their connection humans and the environment.

Avery Martinez covers water, ag & the environment for First Alert 4. He is also a Report for America corps member, as well as a member of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk. His coverage goes from corn farms to hunting concerns, and local water rates to rancher mental health.

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