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2020 Global Temperatures are soaring; May eclipse 2016 as hottest year on record

After a look at the numbers for the first half of the year, global temperatures are nearly the hottest on record once again.
Credit: 10tv

It's been a hot summer for us here in central Ohio, but we're not the only ones baking in the heat. 

With the recent release of June global temperatures from NOAA and NASA, the results for the first half of the 2020 lead to near-record temperatures once again.  

Credit: 10tv

Climate Central found that using both NOAA and NASA data, they found that 2020 has been the planet's 2nd hottest year on record so far.

Year-to-date temperatures are 2.45 degrees Fahrenheit above a 1881-1910 baseline, which is approaching levels from the record-setting year of 2016. 

This year is 90% likely to finish among the top three.

Climate Central said that warming will continue as long as we emit greenhouse gases. While emissions temporarily declined this spring during global shutdowns, they are quickly rising back to normal in much of the world.

Credit: 10tv

Something also worth noting is that this year's impressively hot start it is being done without an active El Nino. The warming of the Equatorial Pacific Ocean waters gave a boost to global temperatures back in 2016 for the hottest year on record. 

We actually may be trending towards the cooling-phase of those same waters, La Nina. NOAA's latest monthly outlook showed a good chance for La Nina to develop later this fall.

Here are also some staggering statistics for this year from Climate Central:

-This year is 'virtually certain' to finish among the top five, which would make the seven latest years the seven hottest in 140 years of records. 

-2020 also has a 36% chance to eclipse 2016 as the hottest on record, even without an El Nino--the pattern that propelled 2016 to its record heat

-Year-to-date temperatures are 2.45 degrees F above a rebaseline from 1881-1910, which indicates warming since the early industrial era. 

-According to the World Meteorological Organization, the next five years may stay at least 1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and even approach the Paris Agreement's aspiration of a 1.5 deg C limit.

-June was the 426th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average. 

What's even more extreme are the temperatures near the poles.  On June 20, the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk reached 100.4 deg F--an earth-shattering Arctic record that was later confirmed by Russia's meteorological service. 

Parts of Siberia were up to 18 deg F hotter than normal in June, leading to a record wildfire season with the highest estimated CO2 emissions in 18 years of monitoring. 

Antarctica also broke temperature records in February. South Florida has observed 134 record highs (and counting) this year, and only one record low.

Through June, the U.S. has had its 8th hottest year out of 126 on record.

Climate Central ends there article with, "Warming will continue as long as we emit greenhouse gases." 

While emissions declined some this spring during global shutdowns, they are quickly returning to normal in much of the world. From renewable energy to smarter agriculture to education, it will take major changes to bend the rising curves of CO2 and global temperatures.

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