Data released this week by NASA shows that January through March was the hottest start of any year on record, putting 2015 on track to be the warmest year ever recorded, ThinkProgress reported.
Last month was the third-warmest March on record, rounding out another record-breaking 12-month period: April 2014 – March 2015. The previous warmest 12-month period was March 2014 – February 2015. Before that, it was February 2014 – January 2015.
Notice a pattern?
The warm temperatures are likely to continue as “[last] week [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] predicted a 60 percent chance that the El Nino it declared in March will continue all year. El Ninos generally lead to global temperature records, as the short-term El Nino warming adds to underlying long-time global warming trend,” ThinkProgress said.
If 2015 does end up as the warmest on record, it will take the title from 2014. A warm 2015 would also mean that nine of the 10 hottest years globally have taken place since the turn of the century. The only outlier is 1998, which was another strong El Nino year.
This data shows just how rapidly the climate is actually changing. On it’s current track, 2015 will mark the 39th month in a row where global temperatures were above average. It’s amazing that so many in the Republican party can still deny global warming is real, even when presented with data proving it is happening.
