March 2025: Second Warmest on Record Globally, Europe's Hottest; Arctic Sea Ice at Record Low

March 2025 was the second warmest March on record globally, according to the European Copernicus Observatory. The average ERA5 surface air temperature reached 14.06°C, which is 0.65°C above the 1991-2020 average for March and 1.60°C above the pre-industrial level (1850-1900). This makes it 0.08°C cooler than the record set in March 2024, and marginally warmer (0.02°C) than March 2016. Europe experienced its warmest March ever, with an average temperature of 6.03°C, 2.41°C above the 1991-2020 average. Some regions, like Spain and Portugal, faced extreme rainfall and floods, while others, including the Netherlands and Germany, experienced drought. The average sea surface temperature (SST) for March 2025 was 20.96°C, the second-highest on record for the month, only 0.12°C below the March 2024 record. The Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic showed significant thermal anomalies. Arctic sea ice reached its lowest extent for March in the 47-year satellite record, at 6% below average.