“La Niña” phenomenon helps cool ocean waters, experts; Average of Brazil in the first 17 days is the smallest since 2021
The average global temperature fell in early February 2025 compared to the same period of 2024, according to data from the of the EU (European Union). The partial result interrupts the series of heat records that was being recorded in almost every month last year, but experts are still concerned about the data.
One of the causes pointed out for temperature slowdown is the “” phenomenon that is characterized by a slight decrease in ocean water temperatures and moves the climate of almost the entire planet, including Brazil, and took strength this year.
From February 1st to 17th, the average temperature in the world was 13.3 ° C, compared to 13.5 ° C in the same period of 2024 – until now. The preliminary number is lower than previous years, but It is still 0.5 ° C above average of the last two decades.
Situation in Brazil
Despite heat records in the Southeast and South regions, the average temperature in Brazil also fell in the early days of February when compared to the same month as previous years.
From the 1st to 17th, preliminary records indicated an average of 25.3 ° C –Menor temperature since 2021. For comparison, by 2024 this number had been 26.0 ° C.
The meteorologist of the (National Institute of Meteorology) Danielle Ferreira, in years of “” there is usually a reduction in rainfall in southern Brazil, both in quantity and frequency. This can result in heat increase in these regions.
Already in the Northeast and North what happens is the opposite: there are more rain and these precipitation can increase the chance of disasters and irregular climate phenomena.
Tatiane Barbosa, also from Inmet, explains that in 2024 the “El Niño” warmed the waters of the central Pacific, which favored the elevation of temperatures in the country. However, this year the influence is from “La Niña”, characterized by the cooling of the Pacific waters.
“Even with weak intensity, this phenomenon tends to change atmospheric patterns, reflecting on rainfall in areas such as the north. All of this impacts the average temperature ”said the expert.
Despite the slight drop now, the rapid rise in temperature in the last 2 years has surprised the scientific community. Among the explanations, the researcher of the IEA (Institute of Advanced Studies) of (University of São Paulo), Carlos Nobre, mentions the reduction of low cloud coverage and the emission of aerosols, particles that usually help reflect part of solar radiation.
The records may still be linked to extreme drought that hit the country in 2023 and 2024. According to him, about 60% of the Brazilian territory faced severe drought. With this, the reduction of moisture and cloud cover favored the elevation of temperature.
January was warmer month
The 1st month of 2025 was, according to data from the Copernicus Observatory. According to the numbers, the average temperature of planet Earth was 13.23 ° C. This milestone is 0.79 ° C warmer than the average for the month of the last 3 decades (from 1991 to 2020).
When considered the pre-industrial average (1850-1900), January 2025 was 1.75 ° C warmer. In addition, this was the 18th month in a period of 19 months when the average global temperature was 1.5 ° C above this average.
Read more:
This report had the collaboration of the trainee Poder360 Lara Brito, under the supervision of the editors of this digital newspaper.
