Wet and wild 2018 is officially fourth-hottest year

Author: Jeremy Rehm / Source: Science News for Students

a photo of a flooded house — Data from two U.S. agencies linked climate change with more rain in Eastern states — and flooding, such as here, in South Carolina.

Overall, 2018 was the fourth-warmest year on record. Only the three preceding years have been hotter. And these global records will likely be broken soon.

Climate change trends suggest Earth’s fever will continue to climb, scientists reported on February 6. They spoke at a joint news conference by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.

The agencies collected data on global temperatures throughout 2018. These show that 2018 was 0.79 degree Celsius (1.4 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the 20th century average of 13.9 °C (57.0 °F).

A warming trend started around the mid-1970s. It “very much resembles riding up an escalator over time,” said Deke Arndt. He heads NOAA’s global monitoring branch in Asheville, N.C.