The world broke multiple records for warmth in March

It keeps getting hotter. The actual global average temperature was higher than the historical average in March by a recordbreaking margin.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday released data showing that the average temperature across the earth’s land and oceans in March was 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average.

That was the highest monthly temperature departure among all 1,635 months on record, dating back to 1880.

“Most of Earth’s land surfaces were warmer than average or much warmer than average ... with record warmth notable across eastern Brazil, most of eastern and central Africa, much of southeastern Asia, and large portions of northern and eastern Australia,” NOAA explained on its website.

The next highest departure was in February, which measured 2.18 degrees above the 20th century average.

After that, the next seven highest departures from normal were recorded within the past year, continuing a trend in which scientists have recorded global average temperatures significantly above normal in recent years.

The extra 2.2 degrees in March made it the warmest March ever recorded.

It was the 11th record hot month in a row. NOAA said that is the longest such streak in its 137 years of recordkeeping.

The average global temperature from January through March was also farther above normal than any other three-month period on record.

“Parts of every inhabited continent and every major ocean basin had some regions with record warmth for the year-to-date,” NOAA said.

Some of the recent warmth has been attributed to a strong El Niño, an area with unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that can dictate long-term weather patterns for much of the world. Typically, El Niño episodes last for about a year and occur several years apart.

But another major factor has been what is commonly referred to as climate change or global warming. That phenomenon has prompted worldwide concern. Scientists say humans are causing it by burning fossil fuels.

NOAA

NOAA