How Do We Know 2016 Was the Hottest Year on Record?
Jan. 19, 2017 - There are lots of numbers to crunch, but the bottom line is clear: the world was a warmer place in 2016. Warmer than 2015, which was warmer than 2014, which was then the hottest year on record. A NASA animation puts these records in context as part of an overall trend stretching back to the 1880s. The average temperature in most places on the planet shows up as consistently hotter than last century’s norms.