It is official, 2015 was Earth’s warmest year on record since record keeping began in 1880.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in December, the combined global land and ocean average surface temperatures in 2015 were the highest for any month on record. During 2015, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 0.90°C above the 20th century average. This was the highest among all 136 years in the 1880–2015 record, surpassing the previous record set last year by 0.16°C and marking the fourth time a global temperature record has been set this century. 

Photo Credit: NOAA

According to NOAA, 10 months had record high temperatures for their respective months during the year. The five highest monthly departures from average for any month on record all occurred during 2015. NOAA reports that the record warmth was broadly spread around the world, as the average land surface temperature was 1.33°C above the 20th century average.  This was the highest among all years in the 1880–2015 record, surpassing the previous record of 2007 by 0.25°C.

Parts of western Canada had their warmest summer on record and moderate to extreme drought developed across parts of the country due to the unusual warmth and dryness. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that Europe experienced its second warmest year, surpassing the previous record set in 2014. Austria also observed its second warmest year as did Germany.

Photo Credit: NOAA

Despite the cold start to the year in parts of eastern North America, the continent as a whole experienced its fifth warmest year on record. The warmest year occurred in 2012. For the winter period, western Canada observed record high temperatures along the Pacific Coast. Many regions across western Canada also had their warmest summer on record.