Singapore Sets Record as Warmest Year in 2024
In 2024, Singapore experienced an annual average temperature of 28.4 degrees Celsius, marking it as the hottest year ever recorded, equally matched with both 2019 and 2016, as reported by the country’s National Environment Agency.
The annual report issued by the agency on March 23 stated that each month of 2024 experienced temperatures that matched or exceeded their respective historical averages. Throughout the year, numerous temperature records were surpassed, including peak daily lows recorded in February and peak daily highs documented in December.
The past ten years from 2015 to 2024 marked the nation’s hottest decade ever recorded, with an average of 28.11 degrees Celsius. This figure was 0.05 degrees Celsius higher than the previous decade spanning 2014 to 2023, making it the fourth successive year that Singapore broke its own decadal mean temperature record.
The report highlighted that although climate change led to higher temperatures, climate variability in 2024 was also a significant factor.
The El Niño phenomenon that emerged in 2023 and concluded in the second quarter of 2024 probably played a role in the elevated temperatures observed in 2024. This includes the period of Singapore’s hottest months (March – May). That particular stretch ranked as the third warmest such season ever recorded, following closely behind 1998 and 2016—years characterized by intense El Niño conditions as well.
It has been observed that Singapore’s annual temperature pattern in 2024 mirrored the recent global trends as reported by the World Meteorological Organization. Consequently, 2024 was marked as the hottest year documented worldwide since 1850.