Japan's average temperature in 2024 was the highest on record for the second straight year since comparable data became available in 1898, due to global warming and westerly winds, the weather agency said Monday.
The average temperature in 2024 was 1.48 C warmer than the mean temperature for the 30-year period through 2020, surpassing the difference of 1.29 C logged the previous year, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Japan has seen a trend of consistently high temperatures in recent years, with 2019 to 2024 ranking as the top six hottest years.
Record-high average temperatures were observed in autumn of last year, while the summer tied for record heat. By month, April, July and October set record highs, according to the agency.
The highest temperature recorded nationwide in 2024 was 41.0 C on July 29 in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture.
The heat persisted into autumn, with the mercury in central Tokyo hitting 30.1 C on Oct 19, the latest point in the year for the temperature to be above 30 degrees in 11 years.
Every region barring the northernmost main island of Hokkaido and Hokuriku in central Japan logged record-high average temperatures, with 111, or over 70 percent, of the 153 observation points breaking records.
