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2020 declared Earth’s 2nd-warmest year on record per NOAA

2020′s average global temperature fell just short of the record set in 2016

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ROANOKE, Va. – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released Thursday that 2020 was the second-warmest year on record globally, falling just behind 2016.

Paul Gross, a meteorologist with our sister station WDIV (Detroit), shows that five other scientific organizations concluded the same thing.

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The earth, as a whole, was 1.75°F above the 20th-century average, which was 0.04°F less than the record set in 2016.

2020 was Earth's second-warmest year on record

Now, seven of the planet’s warmest years on record have come since 2014. This also marks the 44th consecutive year of above-average warmth globally.

Also noted in NOAA’s Thursday release was the record tropical activity. Globally, we tied the record for most tropical cyclones. In the Atlantic Basin, the 2020 season shattered 2005′s old record for number of storms.

Closer to home, 2020 was one of the warmest on record for Lynchburg and Roanoke while also being the wettest year on record for the two cities.

It was also one of the wettest and warmest years on record for the entire Commonwealth.

You can find more from NOAA’s release by clicking here.