It May Be Freezing Now, But 2017 Was Historically Hot

NEW YORK, NY — Even as local weather conditions around much of the United States remain below freezing, average temperatures in the country have continued an upward march. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed Monday that — as many had expected — 2017 was among the hottest years in the United States on record.

With average temperatures across the country at 54.6 degrees — 2.6 degrees above average — 2017 had the third highest temperatures ever measured. The five warmest years have all fallen after 2006, the agency said. And for the past 21 years, each year has surpassed the average temperature for the country, one of the most decisive signs of a warming trend.

Extremity didn't just characterize the 2017's average temperature — it was even more noticeable in the severe weather events that the struck across the country and cost an estimated $306 billion, an amount greater than the combined yearly state budgets of California and Texas.

"Far more tragic was the human toll," NOAA said in a press release. "At least 362 people died and many more were injured during the course of the disasters."

The agency notes that the year's weather disasters included:

• 1 freeze
• 1 drought (affected multiple areas)
• 1 wildfire (affected multiple areas)
• 2 floods
• 3 major hurricanes (Harvey, Irma and Maria)
• 8 severe storms.

"Since 1980, the U.S. has sustained 219 weather and climate disasters that have exceeded $1.5 trillion in overall damages to date," it said.

Since the late 1800s, global temperatures have risen an average of 2 degrees, most of which has occurred in the last 35 years. The press release notes that the changes in temperature have largely been driven by carbon dioxide and other emissions associated with human activity.

While the increase of a few degrees may not seem like much, researchers who study climate warn that even changes of just a few degrees in average temperatures over the long term can have major effects. High temperatures means melting glacial ice, which can lead to higher sea levels and wipe out inhabited areas of land. Broader changes to the climate can also result in more adverse weather events, like hurricanes and droughts. The Environmental Protection Agency has connected climate change to increasing ocean acidity, one of many effects that may lead to unpredictable consequences for the world and for human life.

But factors unrelated to human action also affect global temperatures. El Niño, for example, is a warming weather pattern that emerges over the Pacific Ocean every few years, can drive changes in temperature.

Also Watch: 2017 Saw $306 Billion In Damages From Climate And Weather-Related Disasters

Photo by NASA via Getty Images