In January and February, the global surface temperature was the sixth highest on record
Scientists are already virtually certain that 2022 will be among the 10 hottest years on record.
In its monthly update, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a US federal agency, reported that this year was already off to a baking-hot start.
In January and February, the global surface temperature was the sixth highest on record. This means that it is virtually certain (above 99 per cent) that 2022 will rank in the top-10 hottest years.
The new data also revealed that there was a 28.6 per cent chance that 2022 would be in top five hottest years, and a 2.8 per cent chance it would be the hottest year ever recorded.
Last month was the seventh-warmest February globally across the 143 years that NOAA has kept records – at 1.46F (0.81C) above the 20th-century average of 53.9F (12.1C).
The climate crisis is causing warmer winters around the world which can spool out into a number of extreme impacts.
