Shutterstock
January 2020 was the Earth’s warmest in over a century and in the 141 years of record-keeping in the United States, with 2020 on track to be among the 5 warmest years on record; plus more of today’s weather news and forecast.
In the 141 years that the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been keeping weather records in the United States, since 1880, it found that January 2020 was the hottest ever recorded.
The NOAA compared its observations with the European climate observing program, Copernicus, and the data between the two agencies were in concurrence.
According to the data, the January 2020 global land and ocean surface temperature reached 2.05 degrees Fahrenheit, an amount that surpassed the previous highest record set in January 2016 by 0.04 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, there was an El Niño present in 2016, which naturally acts to raise Earth’s temperature. In 2020, there was no El Niño present, and scientists believe this is yet another sign of greenhouse gas-induced global warming.
The news gets worse: January 2020 was the 44th consecutive January and the 421st consecutive month with temperatures that were above the 20th-century average.
According to the latest analysis by scientists, the year 2020 has a strong likelihood of ranking among the five warmest years on record.
Northwest: Heavy snow to hit parts of Washington and Northern Idaho this weekend.
Texas: Hard freeze warning tonight in North Texas, temps will plummet into the 20s.
Minnesota: Fosston records coldest wind chill factor of -50 degrees, -49 in Windham, Grand Marias; -48 in Hallock, Morris, Benson; -47 in Marshall.
Colorado: Denver snow levels nearly a foot above average this winter.
Georgia: Marinas underwater at Lake Lanier, five feet over pool and could go higher due to constant rain.
West: San Francisco 58/partly cloudy, Los Angeles 70/sunny, Las Vegas 66/sunny, Reno 59/mostly sunny, Salt Lake City 50/mostly sunny, Denver 50/mostly sunny.
Northwest & Northern Rockies: Seattle 49/cloudy, Portland 50/partly cloudy, Boise 41/partly cloudy, Billings 41/windy, Bismarck 37/mostly cloudy, Rapid City 49/mostly sunny.
Southwest: Phoenix 71/partly cloudy, Albuquerque 53/partly cloudy, El Paso 66/mostly sunny, San Antonio 60/sunny.
Central & Upper Midwest: Lubbock 47/partly cloudy, Dallas 53/sunny, Oklahoma City 45/partly cloudy, Kansas City 31/sunny, Minneapolis 18/sunny, Madison 15/sunny.
Ohio Valley: Chicago 15/sunny, Detroit 23/mostly sunny, St. Louis 27/sunny, Cincinnati 26/partly cloudy.
South: Houston 61/sunny, New Orleans 59/partly cloudy, Memphis 39/sunny, Atlanta 49/sunny, Charlotte 52/sunny, Jacksonville 58/rain, Tampa 74/rain, Miami 83/rain.
East: Norfolk 46/partly cloudy, Washington, D.C. 39/partly cloudy, Buffalo 16/partly cloudy, New York 36/partly cloudy, Boston 33/partly cloudy, Bangor 2/partly cloudy.
