2018 Was the World’s Fourth Hottest Year on Record

Global temperatures in 2018 were the fourth warmest on record, U.S. government scientists have confirmed, adding to a stretch of five years that are now collectively the hottest period since modern measurements began.

The world in 2018 was 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.83 degree Celsius) warmer than the average set between 1951 and 1980, said NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  This means 2018’s average global temperatures were the fourth warmest since 1880, placing it behind 2016, 2017, and 2015.

This follows a broader pattern of human-induced climate change, which is boosting increasingly punishing heatwaves, sea level rises, and extreme weather.  Last year saw a pair of devastating hurricanes hit the eastern United States, while record wildfires ravaged California.

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