January 2016 surpassed all other Januarys in the 137–year record as hottest, with globally averaged temperature across land and ocean surfaces 1.04 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average of 12.0 degrees, according to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “This departure from average is the second highest among all months in the historical record, second only to December 2015, which was 1.11°C (2.00°F) above average,” according to NOAA’s January 2016 Global Analysis.
December 2015 and January 2016 are the only two months on record to surpass the average by more than 1 degree Celsius, according to the data. “January 2016 also marks the ninth consecutive month that the monthly temperature record has been broken and the 14th consecutive month (since December 2014) that the monthly global temperature ranked among the three warmest for its respective month,” according to NOAA. The agency noted that a strong El Niño currently underway is impacting temperatures; by its predictions, the El Niño is expected to weaken during late spring or early summer.
