2014 Hottest Year on Record: NOAA

UPDATED January 17, 2014

2014 Hottest year on record at 0.69°C (1.24°F) above the 20th century average

The December 2014 average combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the highest on record since record-keeping began 135 years ago, at 0.77°C (1.39°F) above the 20th century average of 12.2°C (54.0°F), making 2014 the warmest year on record, according to the latest State of the Climate report released by NCDC/NOAA.

January–December 2014 Blended Land and Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies in degrees Celsius

 

Selected Highlights

• The December 2014 globally-averaged temperature for land and ocean surfaces combined was 0.77°C (1.39°F) above the 20^th century average of 12.2°C (54.0°F), the highest on record for December since records began in 1880.
• The January–December temperatures were warmer than average across the vast majority of the globe during 2014, resulting in  record warmth for 2014, at 0.69°C (1.24°F) above the 20^th century average.
• The 2014 average global ocean surface temperature was also the highest on record, at 0.55°C (0.99°F) above average.
• The highest temperature anomalies (more than 5°C / 9°F above the 1981–2010 average) were observed in parts of Alaska and Siberia.

December 2014 Selected Climate Anomalies and Events Map

Source: NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate: Global Analysis for December 2014, published online January 2015, retrieved on January 16, 2015 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2014/12.

The latest data show that 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred this century.

2001-2010 was the warmest decade on record.

The Atmospheric Temperatures

Two different analyses examined NOAA satellite-based data records for the lower and middle troposphere and the lower stratosphere.

• The 2014 temperature for the lower troposphere (roughly the lowest five miles of the atmosphere) was third highest in the 1979-2014 record, at 0.50°F (0.28°C) above the 1981–2010 average, as analyzed by the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH), and sixth highest on record, at 0.29°F (0.16°C) above the 1981–2010 average, as analyzed by Remote Sensing Systems (RSS).
• The 2014 temperature for the mid-troposphere (roughly two miles to six miles above the surface) was third highest in the 1979–2014 record, at 0.32°F (0.18°C) above the 1981–2010 average, as analyzed by UAH, and sixth highest on record, at 0.25°F (0.14°C) above the 1981–2010 average, as analyzed by RSS.
• The temperature for the lower stratosphere (roughly 10 miles to 13 miles above the surface) was 13^th lowest in the 1979–2014 record, at 0.56°F (0.31°C) below the 1981–2010 average, as analyzed by UAH, and also 13^th lowest on record, at 0.41°F (0.23°C) below the 1981–2010 average, as analyzed by RSS. The stratospheric temperature is decreasing on average while the lower and middle troposphere temperatures are increasing on average, consistent with expectations in a greenhouse-warmed world. [NOAH]
  

Related Links

• 2014 U.S. Temperature Tops 20th-Century Average (Again) January 10, 2015
• Year-to-Date Global Temperature Highest on Record December 16, 2014