1.5°C Warming: Climate Change Update
- The World Meteorological Institution (WMO) predicts a high probability that global average temperatures will exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in at least one of the next five years.
- The WMO estimates an 86% chance of temporarily breaching the 1.5°C threshold, and a 70% chance the five-year average will exceed it.
- The report also forecasts regional climate change impacts, with wetter-than-average conditions expected in the African Sahel, northern Europe, and South Asia.
News from the World Meteorological Institution (WMO) paints a sobering picture: There’s an 86% chance we’ll surpass the critical 1.5°C warming threshold within the next five years. this means global temperatures are likely to surge, perhaps reaching up to 1.9°C above pre-industrial levels—a clear sign of an escalating global warming crisis. the Arctic, already feeling the heat, is warming at a rate more than three times the global average, with significant regional climate change impacts also predicted, including shifting weather patterns. News directory 3 is keeping close tabs on the latest developments. What immediate steps are needed to mitigate this warming trend and what’s on the horizon? discover what’s next …
Global Temperatures Likely to Breach 1.5°C Threshold Soon
Updated May 28, 2025
The World Meteorological Institution (WMO) predicts a high probability that global average temperatures will exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in at least one of the next five years. The WMO‘s recent report indicates temperatures coudl range from 1.2°C to 1.9°C higher than the 1850-1900 average.
The WMO estimates an 86% chance of temporarily breaching the 1.5°C threshold, and a 70% chance the five-year average will exceed it. There is even a 1% chance of exceeding 2°C of warming in a single year. These near-term global temperature spikes serve as stark warnings of an accelerating climate crisis, despite the Paris Agreement target referring to longer-term averages.
The report also forecasts regional climate change impacts, with wetter-than-average conditions expected in the African Sahel, northern Europe, and South Asia. The amazon region, though, may face continued drought.
The Arctic region faces even more drastic global warming. Average Arctic temperatures during the next five winters are projected to be 2.4°C warmer than the 1991-2020 average, more than three and a half times the global average increase. Shrinking sea ice in the Barents, Bering, and Okhotsk Seas is expected to contribute to rising sea levels and disrupted weather patterns worldwide.
What’s next
The UN agency urges immediate climate action to prevent further risky warming and keep long-term warming below the 1.5°C limit.
