Why Are Some Cities Getting Colder While The Planet Gets Warmer?

Global warming causes Earth's average temperature to rise - to a level that causes physical and psychological discomfort and impacts daily life. But not all locations get warmer at the same rate or in straight line; it depends on sunlight, cloud cover, atmospheric circulation patterns and atmospheric humidity. This causes regional weather volatility and sharp cold extremes even as the planet's overall average temperature rises. The rate at which temperature has gone up in the last century has increased, and El Nino - a natural weather phenomenon - is partly to blame for that.

A study published in Communications Earth & Environment in May 2026 examined satellite observations from around 1,400 cities worldwide between 2002 and 2021. It found that while the overwhelming majority of cities experienced warming, a small proportion recorded statistically significant cooling trends in daytime land surface temperatures.

The study found that 86 per cent of cities experienced daytime warming, while 96 per cent recorded warming at night. Only 3.9 per cent showed statistically significant daytime cooling trends. At night, statistically significant cooling was negligible.

The regional contrasts were particularly striking in January 2026. While the global average surface air temperature was 12.95 degrees Celsius, or 0.51 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, large parts of the Northern Hemisphere experienced severe cold. In Finland, temperatures in Lappeenranta plunged to -31.5 degrees Celsius, while Siberia recorded temperatures of around -40 degrees Celsius. New York City's Central Park recorded 11.4 inches (29 cm) of snowfall on January 25, its highest single-storm snowfall in nearly four years. Further east, Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula received more than two metres of snow in the first two weeks of January, while Aomori in northern Japan recorded a snow depth of 1.7 metres on February 3, its highest in 40 years.

Yet, in sharp contrast, Australia's Renmark recorded 49.6 degrees Celsius on January 26, its hottest day on record. These extremes illustrate how sharply weather conditions can vary across regions even during a globally warm period.

India Among Regions Showing Daytime Cooling Trends

The research identified relatively lower daytime temperature increases, and in some cases cooling, in cities across India, Iran, Afghanistan and northeastern China.

Scientists point to several possible explanations, including increasing aerosol concentrations and changes in vegetation cover.

Aerosols are tiny particles or droplets suspended in the atmosphere. They can come from natural sources such as dust and volcanic eruptions, as well as human activities including industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust and biomass burning.

However, this cooling effect comes with a serious trade-off. Many aerosols, particularly fine particulate matter, are harmful to human health. Their presence can also influence clouds, rainfall and regional climate patterns.

Vegetation is another important factor. Trees and plants provide shade and release water vapour through a process called evapotranspiration. This process uses energy from the surroundings, helping cool the surface and the air around it.

US climate agency NOAA recorded cycles of warm and cool periods in southeast part of the country in the last century. It attributed the temperature variations to factors such as latitude, topography, and proximity to large bodies of water like the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Further, climate researchers pointed to periods of thick clouds and soil moisture. Thick clouds can decrease the amount of sunlight reaching Earth's surface, and damp soil allows for high evaporation rates, preventing daytime temperatures from getting as warm as they otherwise might.

Weather phenomena like El-Nino, La-Nina and others can also alter regional conditions leading to temperature variations in various regions.

However, the overall weather picture remains the same for the planet. Despite cooling trends in some locations, global warming has caused the average temperature to rise. And loss of sea ice, ocean heat content and rising sea level threatens many parts of the planet.