Energy & Science

Climate Change Pushes January 2020 to Hottest in 141 Years

Artificial snow covers the landmark ski jump and the ski slope at the Alpine skiing resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. Like other resorts at relatively low altitude, global warming has left its mark on Garmisch-Partenkirchen — the site of the 1936 Winter Olympics—putting the town’s identity and affluence at risk.Photographer: Michaela Handrek-Rehle/Bloomberg

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By Eric Roston

February 13, 2020 at 9:14 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The year has started with the hottest January in the 141 years that global records have been kept, and it’s the biggest record-breaking margin—1.14° Celsius above the 20th century average—achieved without help from a warming El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean.

The new monthly record set by January 2020, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, continues an aggressive trend toward higher temperatures. The four hottest Januarys on record have all occurred since 2016, and the top-10 warmest have all occurred since 2002.