This year’s January was the hottest since climate records began 141 years ago, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.
In addition, all four of the world’s hottest Januarys have occurred since 2016, the scientists said. Previously, 2016 had the warmest January on record.
January 2020 also clocked in at the highest monthly temperature ever recorded without an El Nino. During El Nino years, trade winds in the Pacific slow down, creating warmer-than-usual ocean waters and speeding the warming of the atmosphere.
In addition to January breaking records, overall, many parts of the world experienced record warm temperatures, including Scandinavia, Asia, and Central and South America, according to the NOAA data.
Snow and ice cover also remained at lower levels in January of this year. Antarctic sea ice cover, for example, was nearly 10% below average, and Arctic sea ice was just over 5% below average, NOAA said.
