Our global temperature continued its upward trend last month with March 2020 marking the second warmest March ever recorded on this planet. Only March 2016 was warmer.

According to a report by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Earth’s combined average temperature for the month – over both land and sea surfaces – was 56.99°F. That is 2.09°F above the 20th-century average. March was also the 423rd consecutive month with a global temperature above its long-term norm. That means the last time any month posted a below average reading was December 1984.

While heat dominated most of the planet in March, some places were particularly warm, including most of Asia, southern South America, and the eastern half of the contiguous US. As a whole, the lower forty-eight states posted their tenth warmest March on record.

These soaring temperatures are largely attributed to the long-term trend of human-caused climate change. In fact, March tied February 2020 for the highest temperature departure from average for any month during ENSO neutral conditions. That means neither El Niño nor La Niña was present in the Pacific to influence temperatures.

Year to date, the first three months of 2020 were the second warmest such period of any year on record. At this point, it is very likely that 2020 will finish among the top five warmest years ever recorded. Global temperature records date back to 1880.

Credit: NOAA