A Deeper Look At The Heat

March set a remarkable new record for global warming, NOAA reports; First time any month was more than 1.8°F warmer than normal “in the absence of an El Niño episode.”

Joe Romm, April 19, 2017 (ThinkProgress)

“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that last month set an unusual and unexpected new record for global warming…No month before March 2017 had ever exceeded the ‘normal’ temperature (the 1981–2010 average) by a full 1.8°F (1.0°C)…in the absence of an El Niño episode…[This is important because] El Niños generally lead to global temperature records, as the short-term El Niño warming adds to the underlying long-term global warming trend…[W]hen a month sees record high global temperatures in the absence of an El Niño, that is a sign the underlying global warming trend is stronger than ever...NOAA reports that both March and the year to date (January through March) were the ‘second warmest on record’ for the world since global temperature records began in 1880. They were second only to 2016 which, of course, was a year marked by a major El Niño…It was especially hot last month in the Siberian permafrost…Bottom line: Human-caused global warming continues at a dangerous pace, and only human action to slash carbon pollution can stop it.” click here for more

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