World | Temperature Anomalies in January 2021 - DG ECHO Daily Map | 26/02/2021 Format Globally, January 2021 was the sixth warmest January on record, about 0.43°C warmer than the 1981-2010 average for January. Temperatures were much higher than the average reference period for large parts of northern areas of North America, as well as of Barents and Kara Seas (Arctic Ocean). Other regions with warmer than average temperatures include eastern and southeastern Europe, northern Africa and Sahara, the Middle East, central Afghanistan, and the Tibetan Plateau. January 2021 was substantially colder than the average reference period over Siberia and Central Asia, and north-eastern China. Below average temperatures were recorded over the West and most of Northern Europe. As reported by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway), January 2021 was the coldest January in Norway since 2010.