Climate scientists blame the rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere for driving the bulk of the temperature increases that resulted in 2024 being the second-hottest year on record in Australia Last year was Australia’s second-hottest on record going back to 1910 and the warmest for night-time temperatures, according to official Bureau of Meteorology data. The average temperature across the country in 2024 was 1.46C above the long-term average, calculated from 1961 to 1990, and was second behind the 1.51C record set in 2019. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Night-time temperatures were 1.43C higher than the average, the data showed, easily beating the 1.27C mark set in 1998. For maximum temperatures, 2024 was the fourth-hottest. Climate scientists blamed the continued rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere for driving the bulk of the temperature increases. Twelve-monthly mean temperature decile for Australia. Areas of Australia where average temperatures were above average, very much above average, or the highest on record, for 2024 “This is becoming routine now,” said Prof Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, deputy director of the Centre of Excellence for 21st century weather at Australian National University. “Undoubtedly climate change has been a major factor because none of the climate mechanisms that gear things up for a hot year – like El Niño or [conditions in the Indian ocean] were really in play.” The spring of 2024 was the hottest on record at 2C above average, winter was the second-hottest and records tumbled during a blistering August . Queensland had its hottest year on record and South Australia and Western Australia both had their second-hottest. New South Wales experienced its third-hottest year, Victoria its fifth, Tasmania its joint-fifth and the Northern Territory had its 11th hottest year. It was also wetter than average across the country. Victoria, SA […]