According to sources last month was the hottest january on record over the world’s land and ocean surfaces, with average temperatures exceeding anything in the 141 years of data held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Meanwhile the record temperatures in january follow an exceptionally warm 2019, which has been ranked as the second hottest year for the planet’s surface since reliable measurements started.
Furthermore the past five years and the past decade are the hottest in 150 years of record-keeping, an indication of the gathering pace of the climate crisis. Apparently the average global land and ocean surface temperature last month was 2.5F (or 1.14C) above the 20th-century average. This measurement marginally surpassed the previous january record, set in 2016.
Accordingly a pulse of unusual warmth was felt across much of russia, Scandinavia and eastern canada, where temperatures were an incredible 9F (5C) above average, or higher. Perhaps the Swedish town of Örebro reached 10.3C, its hottest january temperature since 1858, while Boston experienced its hottest ever january day, at 23C (74F). According to scientists, the world must halve its emissions by 2030 to stand any chance of avoiding disastrous climate breakdown.
