NASA: 2016 could be warmest year on Earth since 1880
It's been a warm year here in central North Carolina, but we've had lots of company. NASA now predicts that 2016 will be the warmest year on Earth since records began in 1880.
So far this year, the average global temperature is running 1.4 degrees above average. That's not a big deal on any given day, but to run that much above average for the entire globe is unprecedented.
It would have to turn extremely cold globally to avoid setting a record for the year, that's why NASA says there is a better than 99 percent chance of 2016 ending up as Earth's third consecutive warmest year on record.
If NASA is right, 2016 will be the third year in a row that we've set a global temperature record for the year. Most scientists believe the impressive global warmth can be mostly attributed to the steady build up of heat trapping greenhouse gases. Last year's El Nino event added an extra kick to the warmth, 11 of the last 12 months have set records as well.
