New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- The world experienced its hottest January on record in 2025, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), citing data from the UN-backed Copernicus Climate Change Service.

January 2025 was 1.75degC above pre-industrial levels and 0.79degC above the 1991-2020 average. It marked the 18th time in the past 19 months that the global surface air temperature surpassed the 1.5degC threshold set by the Paris Agreement.

The past 12 months (February 2024 - January 2025) recorded a temperature rise of 1.61degC above pre-industrial levels, despite expectations that the La Niña weather phenomenon would bring temporary cooling.

The data, compiled from major climate agencies-including NOAA, NASA, the European Uni...