Last year was the world's hottest on record, and Philadelphia's average temperature of 58.8 degrees in 2024 matched 2012 as the city's warmest since the National Weather Service began keeping data in 1874.
Globally, temperatures were 1.47 degrees Celsius or 2.65 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than preindustrial levels — just shy of the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold nations pledged not to cross in the Paris Agreement, according to NASA data released Friday.
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Philadelphia's record-tying warmth was a continuation of a larger trend. There have been eight years since 2012 that have averaged 58 degrees or warmer — a mark that was reached just three times in the 138 years prior.
In 2024, the city's hottest month was July, averaging 81 degrees, and the coldest was January, averaging 36.6 degrees.
This summer, there was a stretch with 31 straight days that averaged 75 degrees or higher and 23 days reached 90 degrees. Those conditions led to heat health emergency declarations, meaning people were at risk of temperature-related illness or death.
Later in the year, a dry spell in September and October broke a 150-year record with 42 days without significant rainfall. The conditions caused burn bans as wildfires smothered South Jersey, and counties around Philly issued a drought watch declaration in November — asking residents to conserve water when possible. Even after rain and snow in December, 2024 was the driest year since 2016.
“Not every year is going to break records, but the long-term trend is clear,” Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said in a statement. “We’re already seeing the impact in extreme rainfall, heat waves, and increased flood risk, which are going to keep getting worse as long as emissions continue.”