JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – According to the latest National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate report, May 2020 tied May 2016 as the warmest May on record for the globe. The temperature record for the world dates back to 1880. The last five months, January through May, was also the second warmest period globally on record.
The global surface temperature for May 2020 was 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average. Record warmth was recorded from May 2020 on six of the seven continents, with only Australia registering below normal temperatures. The ten warmest Mays on record have all occurred since 1998.
Year-to-date, the global surface temperature is 2 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average. This is the second highest January to May period on record in the past 141 years. And it was a close second, the same period in 2016 was 2.1 degrees above average.
According to projections and statistics from the National Centers for Environmental Information, 2020 is 99.9% likely to rank as one of the five warmest years on record, continuing the global warming trend.
