The new decade had the hottest start on record, according to scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. According to their data, this was the hottest January ever.
Their records go back to 1880.
The global land and ocean surface temperature this January was 2.05 degrees F above the 20th century average of 53.6 degrees, says the NOAA. This broke the previous record from January 2016.
Other warmer-than-average parts include much of Russia and parts of eastern Canada and Scandinavia where the temperature were as high as 9 degrees above the average or higher.
In the US, all 48 states were warmer than the average in January.
The four warmest Januaries have happened since 2016 and the 10 warmest since 2002.
What Does Warmer Temperature Mean?
Warmer temperatures means that the ice and snow are melting and the Arctic sea ice was 5.3 percent below its average from 1981 to 2010 whereas that of the Antarctic was 9.8 percent below the average.
This warmth from January continued the unusual one from 2019 which is the second hottest year on record.
According to climate scientist from the University of Illinois, Don Wuebbles, the hottest January after the hottest year on record is a sign of the dramatic warming and the urgent need of making the necessary changes in the fight against climate change and global warming.
2020 May Be the Hottest Year on Record
Scientists from the NOAA believe that 2020 will probably be ranked among the 5 warmest years on record!
The snow coverage in the Northern Hemisphere was below the 1981-2010’s average and had the 18th smallest January cover in the 54-year available records, the report also indicates.
Though global temperatures elevated in January, the weather in a specific region may not have correlated. This is because a month or a year isn’t indicative of climate.
NASA notes that the difference between weather and climate is a measure of time.
They explain that when we’re talking about climate change, we refer to changes in the long-term averages of the daily weather.
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