While the United States is on pace for its coolest year in almost two decades, global temperatures could set a new record high for the year.
The world experienced its warmest September since records began in 1880, according to data from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration. Similar record-breaking months to close out the year would make 2014 the hottest recorded.
U.S. residents, though, aren’t feeling the heat, given the unusually mild summer that followed a frigid winter.
The first nine months of this year were the coldest in the U.S. since 1996, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It’s still the 26th warmest on record, about 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit above the historical average.
But some states are still having warm years, compared with historical averages.
That’s particularly true in the West, where six states are enduring one of their 10 hottest years. That has affected snow pack and melt, significantly altering water resources that have contributed to drought.
“The long-term drought conditions across the region will continue to impact water resources and agriculture and increase wildfire risk,” NOAA said.
