Caribbean Climate Experts Confirm 2024 as Warmest Year on Record

The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica W.I., Wednesday, August 27, 2025 — Caribbean climate scientists, led by researchers from The University of the West Indies (The UWI), have confirmed that 2024 was the warmest year on record for the region since data collection began in 1950.

The findings are outlined in the 2024 State of the Climate Report published by the American Meteorological Society, widely regarded as the world’s annual climate “health check.” The report warns of record-breaking ocean heat, the highest sea levels ever observed, and extreme weather events that caused widespread damage and loss of life. It remains a critical resource for scientists, policymakers, and the public in tracking the accelerating impacts of climate change.

The Caribbean chapter of the report was authored by five UWI experts in collaboration with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) and the Meteorological Service of Jamaica. Their analysis shows that the region’s average annual temperature reached 26.81°C—0.84°C above the 1991–2020 average—while both the December–February and March–May periods also set new seasonal records.

But 2024 was not only a year of record heat. It was also the eighth wettest year on record since 1950, with rainfall averaging 114 percent of normal levels. Severe droughts hit parts of the eastern Caribbean between March and May, while later in the year hurricanes and floods brought widespread destruction. Among the most devastating events was Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, which struck Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica, leaving more than US$1.4 billion in damages and multiple fatalities.

Lead Caribbean author Professor Tannecia Stephenson, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science & Technology at UWI Mona and contributor to the UN’s IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, emphasized the urgency of the findings:

“These findings go beyond record numbers. They provide a scientific record of how climate change is unfolding in our islands, shaping our future, and underpin the urgent need for ‘now’ solutions. Small island developing states are at the forefront advocating for drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, so Caribbean scientists are very committed to contributing to these global climate analysis efforts. The data is critical and should urge us toward more proactive actions and strategic collaborations for global and regional responses to climate change.”

Also contributing to the analysis and reporting were Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science & Technology at UWI Mona; climate scientists Dr. Leonardo Clarke, Dr. Jayaka Campbell, and Ms. Candice Charlton of the UWI Mona Department of Physics. They collaborated with Dr. Cedric Van Meerbeck and Mr. Adrian Trotman of CIMH, who also serve as Adjunct Lecturers at the UWI Cave Hill Campus.