Early melt onset (EMO) is a crucial time index for sea ice melting and has a significant impact on the thermal balance of sea ice. In this paper, EMO remote sensing, ERA5 reanalysis, and sea ice concentration data have been used to reveal the relative contribution of surface air temperature and liquid precipitation. Our research indicates that, the most significant advancement of EMO is observed in the southern Atlantic sector among the five study sea areas from 1979−2021, with the rate of −3.3 d/(10 a). For the atmospheric factors affecting EMO, surface air temperature has a considerable correlation period lasting 1−2 months with EMO in all Arctic sea areas. In addition, surface air temperature in the southern Pacific sector and northern and southern Atlantic sectors have a longer duration and stronger correlation with EMO than liquid precipitation. However, for the northern Pacific sector and the central Arctic, liquid precipitation has a higher contribution only in the 2−3 weeks prior to EMO. For the northern Pacific sector, atmospheric circulation provides strong water vapor transport channel extends into this sea area, increasing saturated water vapor in the lower troposphere. Meanwhile, the trend of the 500 hPa potential height shows a three-wave strengthening atmospheric circulation structure around the pole, allowing meridional heat exchange and enhancing the vertical gradient of specific humidity, which promotes the advancement of EMO. For the central Arctic, in years when EMO is advanced, the liquid precipitation is 33% higher than climatology. Additionally, not only the Pacific water vapor transport in the climatology is enhanced, but also the converges with water vapor channel over Eurasia continent, contributing to the formation of cyclonic water vapor transport mode in the eastern Arctic, providing conditions for the advancement of EMO.