In December 2019 it was predicted that 2020 is likely to be another of the hottest years on record based on observations of trends over recent years.
The UK Met Office in its annual global temperature forecast “predicts 2020 will be around 1.11C above pre-industrial levels, extending the series of the Earth’s hottest years since records began in 1850.
According to the Natural Centre’s for Environmental Information (NOAA), the global land and ocean surface temperature for January 2020 was the highest in its 141-year record.
The Guardian reported that the “ hottest year on record currently is 2016, when there was an El Niño effect, and the years since have all been close to the record”.
The National Centers for Environmental Information stated that “January 2020 marked the 44th consecutive January and the 421st consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th-century average”.
