Sharp temperature contrasts seen in the Northern Hemisphere in January

The latest Climate Bulletin from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reveals marked contrasts in temperature anomalies across the Northern Hemisphere in January 2026. While large parts of North America, Europe and Siberia experienced unusually cold conditions and Europe registered its coldest January since 2010, much of the Arctic saw much-above-average temperatures.

January 2026 was the fifth-warmest January on record with a global average surface air temperature of 12.95°C, 0.51°C above the 1991–2020 average for January. The month was 0.28°C cooler than the warmest January on record, which occurred in 2025, and 1.47°C warmer than the estimated 1850–1900 pre-industrial baseline.

During the second half of January, a wavier-than-usual polar jet stream – a fast-flowing band of winds about 8–12 km above the surface that separates cold polar air from warmer air to the south – allowed Arctic air to extend into mid-latitudes. The January Climate Bulletin takes a closer look at how this situation contributed to severe cold conditions in large parts of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, Europe and Siberia. Conversely, much of the Arctic experienced warmer-than usual temperatures, most notably across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Baffin Bay, Greenland and the Russian Far East.

In parts of the Southern Hemisphere, above-average and even record-breaking heat were recorded across northern Africa, central Asia, and most of Australia and Antarctica. Extreme temperatures contributed to intense wildfires in Australia, Chile and Patagonia in the second half of the month, as reported by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).

Read the January 2026 surface air temperature update in full

In Europe, January 2026 was wetter than average in much of western, southern and eastern parts of the continent. Heavy precipitation led to flooding and damage in several regions, including the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, the western Balkans and the United Kingdom, where Northern Ireland and southern England saw their wettest January on record since 1877 and 1836, respectively.

Outside Europe, wetter-than-average conditions occurred in western Canada, northern Mexico, the southern United States, central Asia, easternmost Russia and Japan, southeastern Brazil, northern Australia and southern Africa. In many of these regions, heavy rainfall caused flooding or other disruptions, particularly in Mozambique, which experienced catastrophic impacts on lives and livelihoods.

Read the January 2026 hydrological variables update in full 

In the Arctic, the average sea ice extent in January 2026 was 6% below average, making it the third-lowest January extent on record. Regionally, below average sea ice concentrations coincided with much-above-average surface air temperatures, most notably in the northern Barents Sea, between Svalbard and Franz Josef Land, as well as in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea.

In the Antarctic, the monthly average sea ice extent was 8% below average, outside of the 10 lowest extents for the month.

Read the January 2026 sea ice update in full

Every month, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which is implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) on behalf of the European Commission, provides an update on temperatures, hydrological variables and sea ice, highlighting recent climate conditions. The Climate Bulletins include charts and maps with the evolution of key climate variables, based mainly on the C3S reanalysis dataset ERA5.

Every month, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which is implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) on behalf of the European Commission, provides an update on temperatures, hydrological variables and sea ice, highlighting recent climate conditions. The Climate Bulletins include charts and maps with the evolution of key climate variables, based mainly on the C3S reanalysis dataset ERA5.