The state of our Climate 2024: A record-breaking warm year
Climate change is showing increasingly strong signs, both in the (Caribbean) Netherlands and globally. In the Caribbean Netherlands, 2024 was the warmest year on record. In ‘The State of Our Climate’, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) describes the weather of 2024 and places it in the context of global climate change. The relevant sections for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are published separately in Dutch, English and Papiamento.
Warmest year on record
The Caribbean Netherlands had an above-average warm year in 2024. Average temperatures were 28.4°C on St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba, and 29.1°C on Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. This made 2024 the warmest year on record. Temperatures in the Tropical North Atlantic were also at another record high in 2024.
In the Caribbean Netherlands, the record warmth was accompanied by relatively less wind and high humidity. The combination of high temperatures with little wind and high humidity creates a high perceived temperature.
A busy hurricane season with a special calm
2024 saw an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic with 18 tropical storms, 11 of which developed into hurricanes. Five of these hurricanes even reached the most severe categories. A cause of the busy hurricane season was a combination of very warm ocean water and an emerging La Niña, which began on the cusp of 2024. The hurricane season also had a remarkable lull: no hurricane occurred between mid-August and mid-September whilst usually the peak of the hurricane season falls during this period.
On 2 July, Hurricane Beryl reached Category 5 as the earliest hurricane ever, with wind speeds exceeding 270 kilometers per hour. On its journey across the Caribbean Sea, Beryl wreaked much havoc. Beryl passed north of Bonaire, where warnings of swell and waves had been issued. Tropical storm Ernesto passed Saba and St. Eustatius on 13 August. The islands mainly experienced heavy rain leading to flooding and falling rocks. And strong winds blew down trees on the islands.
More on the state of our Climate
The KNMI annually publishes The State of Our Climate. This report provides an overview of the weather and climate in the Netherlands and the world. The KNMI was founded on 31 January 1854 and this year marks its 171st anniversary. Up-to-date information on the climate can be found on the Climate overview page, in the climate dashboard, and in the weekly climate reports.
The report has been published on the KNMI website and can be downloaded directly via www.knmi.nl under the "Knowledge & Explanation" tab.