Milan, 10 February. (LaPresse) – January 2026 was the fifth warmest January on record globally, with an average surface air temperature 1.47 °C above pre-industrial levels, and the global average sea surface temperature was the fourth highest ever recorded for this month. This is according to the latest monthly bulletin from the Copernicus Climate Change Service. " In January 2026, the most striking feature in Europe was the widespread cold spell that affected Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Eastern Europe', while “in contrast, warmer-than-average conditions were recorded across much of Italy, the Balkans and western Turkey” and “mixed or slightly below-average temperatures were recorded in many regions of Western Europe” , Copernicus points out, adding that on the other hand, ‘warmer-than-average temperatures were more pronounced in the Arctic’ and were also recorded ‘in southern South America, North Africa, Central Asia and most of Australia’.