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2019 was the second-hottest year ever recorded, NASA, NOAA, and the World Meteorological Organization confirmed today. It’s a fittingly disastrous close to the hottest decade on record. The news follows a similar announcement last week from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, an initiative of the European Union.
The only year that beat out 2019 was 2016. That year saw global average surface temperatures that were just 0.04 degrees Celsius higher than 2019.
2019 broke other records as well. Europe experienced its hottest year since record-keeping began. It was the warmest year documented for the oceans, according to a study published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. It was also the second-wettest year in the US, NOAA…